Prodigal Daughter
by Jet MacLeod
Summary: Set currently, story goes AU at the end of Season 7 when Emily leaves. The gang is all there except for no one ever replaces Emily. JJ has been working double duty with Garcia. When an Interpol agent shows up at BAU looking for help, he hopes that her old team can help him find her. Emily is missing, the clock is ticking, more secrets are revealed, but can Emily survive them?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Don't waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all." Mandy Hale

Hotch was sitting in his office approving case files and expense reports when a tall, lanky, red haired man walked in and sat down across from him. Hotch looked up and noted the FBI visitors badge. He stared the man down trying to ascertain who he was and what he wanted, but he couldn't think of anything.

"I need your help, Hotchner," the man finally stated.

"That depends on what it's for. I don't know you, but yet you've come in here, sat down, and acted like you have some major reason for being here. So, why don't you tell me what you need and then I'll decide if I want to help you," Aaron answered.

The man regarded Hotch for a second. He reached into a small case at his side and pulled out a file. He tossed it on the desk in front of Hotch.

"That file doesn't exist. The contents do not leave this room. Study it for a second and then let me know what you think."

Hotch arched his eyebrow at him as he opened the file folder. He sifted through the papers until his eyes found what the man knew he would find. Two words stared at him off the page. He immediately looked up into the green eyes of the man in front of his desk.

"She's missing?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"We aren't sure."

"You aren't sure?"

"She went undercover several weeks ago. Her handlers lost contact with her in Germany about a week ago. Honestly, we don't know where to begin to look. We don't know if she is on the run or if she's been captured. We need your help."

"This is going to be easy," Hotch told him.

"I know. I've already got you cleared for whatever and whoever you want. Clyde told me to come to you. He said that you would know what to do. He told me that you could help me."

"Clyde Easter?"

"Yes," the man answered.

"What else do you have?"

"What do you mean?"

"This file doesn't tell me much. You are holding something back from me. What is it?"

"There is another agent that we would like to bring in to help you."

"Interpol?"

"Yes."

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Amelia Benton. She has been working the intelligence side of the case that Prentiss was working. They have never met in person, but she is the best thing to Prentiss for the case. Aaron, we need you to find Prentiss and close the case."

"Easter knew I would take the case because of Emily didn't he?" Hotch asked him.

"He had a pretty good idea that you would, yes."

"Where is this Agent Benton?"

"London."

"Will she come here for briefings?"

"I think that you might want to go to her."

"Doesn't fly?"

"Umm…well…she's not a regular agent. She is a little more…independent. She's the best at our counter-terror office. She is highly decorated and well trained. But, she isn't going to go willingly without meeting you and seeing what you are going to do about the case."

"Who does she report to?"

"Myself and Easter."

"Ah, I'll have to take a few minutes and get with two of my agents before I give you my answer. Can you give me at least an hour? Then, I'll give you my answer."

"Should I wait here?"

"That's fine," Hotch said.

He left his office and went into the bullpen. He looked at Reid. Motioning him over, Hotch told him to watch the man in his office and make sure that he stayed there. Reid nodded, but gave Hotch a quizzical look as he headed to the elevators. He pushed the number for the floor to Garcia's office and rode in silence.

Reid stood in the middle of the bullpen. Morgan and JJ came out of her office and stared at him. They watched him staring up at Hotch's office. Giving each other a look, they headed down to him. Reid looked at them as they stopped in front of his desk.

"What's going on, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked him.

"Hotch has a visitor."

"Who?" JJ asked.

"I don't know. British Intelligence possibly. Hotch left him in there."

"Really?" Morgan asked arching an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, and then he headed to the elevators."

"He's going to Garcia," JJ stated.

"Well, Pretty Boy, keep watch on him. Let me know the second Hotch comes back. I have a nagging feeling that we are about to get a case we aren't going to like," Morgan replied.

* * *

"Garcia," Hotch stated as he entered her office.

"Yes, my liege?"

"I need you to find out everything that you can on an Amelia Elizabeth Benton."

"Give me a minute," she told him as she typed away at the keyboard.

Hotch watched the screens. Information flew across them, but nothing was making any sense to him. He couldn't pick anything out that would help him.

"Okay, well, that's weird."

"What?"

"There is only one page. It's on the printer. Hold on a sec and I'll grab it," Garcia leaned back and snatched a sheet of paper of the printer in the back of the office before handing it to him.

"There are no pictures?" Hotch asked her looking over the paper.

"None that I could find," Garcia said.

"Keep looking. I'll be in the conference room. Call me immediately."

"You want me to do a 'thing'?"

"Yes," he said, taking the paper and leaving her office.

He headed back up into the bullpen. He avoided making eye contact with anyone there as he headed back into his office. He sat down behind his desk and set the paper that Garcia had printed out down on the desk.

"Okay, so I know nothing about this agent you want to give us. Do you want to fill in some of the blanks? You can start with your name and what her official title is," Hotch told him.

"My name is James Randall Mackenzie. Most of my teams just call me Mac. And, Amelia is a specialize agent. She works intel for us. She is hardly in field, but she is more than qualified. She is part of the team that was feeding Prentiss information while she was undercover. She was the primary on the intelligence. She knows the case as well as or better than Prentiss did herself. Prentiss' handlers don't even know what she knows," he stated.

"You knew that we would take this case, didn't you?"

"We hoped you would."

"Why are there no pictures of Agent Benton?"

"She worked for MI-5 and was attached to a SAS unit. In certain circles, she doesn't even exist. Let me see what you have," Mac suggested with his hand out.

Hotch handed him the paper and sat back. He watched the man before him, studying him, reading him as he looked over the paper. When the green eyes looked up and met Hotch's brown, Hotch realized that the man was legit and worried.

"You've gotten more than normal release. I assume that your technical analyst got more information because she is very adept at getting information from multiple sources. What else will you need to know?"

"You will sit in on a briefing. You will tell us everything that you know and we will find her. I am treating this like a counter-terror case as I assume that is what it is. We will have full disclosure. Is that understood?" Hotch asked him.

"I will give you what I can," Mac informed him.

"It better be enough. I want her back in one piece. And, I don't want to have to explain to the Ambassador what happened. That will be your job. You lost her."

"Agreed," Mac replied.

"Wait here. I'll come back for you in a few minutes. And, remember we are doing this my way or I'll just send you to Guantanamo. The choice is yours," Hotch threatened.

"I want her back, Hotchner. I want her alive and well. I want her to survive this."

Hotch nods at him, realizing that he is really upset about her being missing. He didn't know what he was going to tell the team, but he knew that he would ask them all if they wanted to go. He wasn't going to force it on them. It would be their choice.

He picked up his phone and dialed Garcia's office.

"Office of the Empress of Supreme Knowledge, how can I help?"

"Garcia, any news?" Hotch asked her.

"Nothing yet, my liege, but I'm still searching. Do you have something that can help narrow my search? Cause I got the kids working hard as they can?" Garcia asked him.

"No, I don't have anything. Come up here and send everything that you have to the conference room. Five minutes," he told her walking out into the bullpen. "Conference room, now."

Morgan, Reid and JJ looked at each other. They didn't need to be told twice. They grabbed their tablets and headed up to the conference room. They poured into the room and took their seats. He waited for them to sit.

"We are waiting for Garcia-"

"Here, my liege, please continue," Garcia said taking her seat and then took the remote.

"Early today we were given some information that you all may a little disturbing. Before I give what little I have in way of a briefing, I want you to know that nothing that is said leaves this room. Also, you will each have the choice in this case to join in or stay."

Morgan shifted uncomfortably. JJ turned to Garcia. She could tell that Garcia knew something that she wasn't telling them. Reid could feel the tension in the room but he couldn't figure out why. Garcia stared at the table. She couldn't figure out where to look and she knew more than they did because of her searches. Hotch waited for the initial shock to where off before he started to tell them anything.

"As you remember, Prentiss went back to Interpol. There has been some creditable traffic in the intelligence world for counter-terrorism and she needs our help. This is going to like the time we went after Doyle. There will be no official reports going into our system. Everything will be going to Interpol. This briefing will have never officially happened. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Reid answered.

Morgan stated, "Absolutely."

"I'm in," JJ said.

"Whatever she needs," Garcia told Hotch.

"Good. Now, I have to go get Agent Mackenzie. If you want something to drink, now is the time. Once he starts, we won't stop until he is done with his briefing," Hotch told them.

He left the room. Morgan got up and poured glasses of water. He passed them around the round the table and sat back down. He looked around the table watching his fellow agents.

"Anyone got any clue?" he asked.

"Garcia?" JJ questioned.

"I don't know what I know. Hotch came to me earlier and had me run a search. I was looking up some information on an Interpol agent. Other than that, I have no idea what it means."

Hotch came in before anything else could be said. Followed behind him was the tall red head from his office. Morgan sized him up as he came into the room. Garcia looked at him questioningly. JJ and Reid turned from the newcomer back to Hotch as he took his seat. The other man sat down beside him and Garcia.

"I am Agent JR Mackenzie or Mac. I am the Bureau Chief in charge of the London field office for Interpol. Currently we are working on counter-terror issues intermixed with crimes against children. Agent Emily Prentiss was in charge of a task force we called JTF Doppelgänger. At approximately, Nineteen Hundreds hours Greenwich, Interpol Agent Emily Prentiss went missing in the small town of Landshut. She was in country pretending to be major French buyer for goods you don't want to know about. She was exceptionally good at infiltration organizations to get what we needed to bring them down."

"That she is," Morgan quipped.

"She has been quite effective. Two nights ago she was to meet with an arms dealer that was trying to pass off old Russian nuclear materials. She went to the drop site to make the buy. She never made her rendezvous' point. We aren't even sure if she made the buy."

"She's been missing since the buy?" JJ asked worriedly.

"We don't know that. She failed to contact us at the appropriate time. When reports came back to my office stating that she wasn't reporting in, I immediately sent dispatches out to local police and other Interpol agents in the area. We swarmed the sellers and took them down. They had no evidence of her ever being there. It looks like she made it to the drop. We have no idea where she is, but we know that she had contact with one of our analysts."

"Who?"

"Her name is Amelia Benton."

"Do we have a dossier on her?" Reid questioned.

"Yes," Hotch answered and looked at Garcia.

Garcia pulled up the dossier on the monitor in the conference room. They all looked at it. They weren't sure what they were looking at but they knew that it was a sanitized personnel file.

"Is that it, Baby Girl?" Morgan asked.

"That is all I could find," she replied.

"Do you have more?" JJ questioned him.

"That is more than I got when I hired her," Mac told them.

"So how can this analyst help?" Reid inquired.

"She is Emily's Doppelganger."

"Excuse me?" JJ stated leaning onto the table, "What does that mean?"

"Miss Garcia, may I borrow your lap top for a second."

Hotch nodded at her. She pushed it over to him. He acquired an Interpol secure connection and pulled up Agent Amelia Benton's picture. He set it next to the dossier on the screen.

"She is Emily in a nut shell. She has been groomed for field work. But, sometime in 2011 or 2012 she was removed from field work. This order came from an outside agency and it was given the highest priority. I can't even see the file that tells us why."

"Late 2011, like Winter?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"I know why she was pulled from field duty then."

"Why?" Hotch asked.

"That is when Elizabeth Prentiss when back to London as the Ambassador. It was when Easter started calling Emily again. It was when she found out that Declan had been taken. It had everything to do with Prentiss and Doyle. Who is this Agent Benton to Prentiss?"

"We don't know," Mac told her.

"I do," Reid stated looking at the picture harder.

"Who is she, Reid?"

"She is a Prentiss," he told them all.

JJ sat back in her chair and stared at the picture. She could see it. The same eyes, the same cheeks. The nose was wrong, smaller, not as pronounced, but she did favor Emily with an amazing about likeness. She could have been her younger sister or daughter.

"How old is Agent Benton?" Morgan asked.

"Twenty-five."

JJ gasped. She had the answers. They were right in front of her. They were on the page and her features.

"I know why she was pulled from field duty. It was the same reason that her files have all be crazy sanitized. Like even Garcia sanitized," JJ told them looking at the screen.

"Who is she, JJ?"

"She is the mistake she took care of when she was in Rome as a teenager."

"That's Emily's daughter?" Morgan asked looking back at the screen.

"Wait, Benton…Benton…that was the name of the guy who took her to the clinic."

"Only, I bet that if we asked the Ambassador, Emily never made it to the clinic. Matthew Benton was a family friend. He stopped her. Got her away from Rome. The Ambassador moved to Paris the next month. Emily was probably hidden away until the birth. Matthew took the child and raised it. He was a little older and from money in Rome. He had enough connections to hide the child's true identity."

"How the hell did you get that from this?" Morgan asked her.

"Look at her name."

"Amelia Elizabeth Benton," Reid stated.

"No, look at the mother's name."

"Amelia I. P. Benton," Reid read of the screen.

"Garcia, look up Italian names for Emily and Elizabeth," JJ told her.

"Emily turns into Amelia and Elizabeth into Isabella," Garcia told her.

JJ stood up and pointed at the screen. Her fingers ran over the name. She realized then, that Emily had always been protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, including her teenage self. She had given Matthew her baby to protect it because she didn't want it growing up like she did. She wanted her to have a better life, and what a better life she would have with an ex-pat living in Rome who had money.

"Amelia Isabella Prentiss Benton…Amelia I. P. Benton."

"She would do that," Reid pointed out.

"So what do we do now?" Morgan asked, his mind sufficiently blown.

"Now we go to Agent Benton and get her to help us bring Emily home."

"Where are we going?" JJ asked.

"We are officially going to visit the Ambassador per her request. We will be staying at embassy lodging while we are in London. Garcia, pack up whatever and I do mean whatever you might need for a field trip. The rest of you, two go bags, deep field and survival if you got it included with your field, and camera ready, flashy to the nines, go bag. We are about to go to the Ritz and find ourselves in a jungle. Wheels up in two hours."

They all left the conference room but JJ. She stayed and she studied the dossier of the younger woman left on the screen. She was smart, deadly, and proficient. Emily would be proud.

"Why did you tell us, Em? Why did you keep her such a secret? Who's her father really?"

"The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just have to find the ones with suffering for." Bob Marley


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the adds and follows. I have a pretty good idea where this is going and I hope that you enjoy the ride. It is going to be a messy and action packed adventure for our favorite agents.**

**In this chapter, there is a section that would have been a montage on screen. Two scenes running together at the same time. They are in two different locales, but are important to the building of the characters and the story. It makes sense. Each scene has its own type face. The would-be voice overs are in Italics, while the main part of the action, that would be on the screen, is in regular type. I hope this clarifies things in case it seems odd to you reading it. Enjoy and let me know what you think or your guesses as to what is going to happen. Thanks.**

**Chapter Two**

"Some people come into your life as blessings. Some come into your life as lessons." Mother Teresa

She looked up from her desk. She had seen the missive come across the wire. Prentiss was missing. Mac was in the States as Easter request. She stared at the screen. Nothing else mattered at the moment. She reached across the desk and picked up her burner phone. She had hoped that she would never have to use it. She knew that certain people didn't even know the number and would be surprised to get a call from it. hut it was Prentiss' back up. And now, she would use it to save her.

She laughed at the fact that Emily had simply put her in the phone as Emma J. She didn't know what it meant, but she knew that the phone was meant for her. She scrolled passed Mac's burner number, code named Alban. She scrolled passed Easter's burner code named Boss. She scrolled passed a number listed as Blackbird. She thought she knew who it was, but she didn't have the time to speculate at that point. She also knew that when she received the phone before Emily left that she gave her explicit instructions to only call that number as a last resort. It was a failsafe behind her. She went right over the number labeled Eirinn already knowing that it was Emily's. She stopped and her finger hovered over the last number in the phone. She stared at the name: Ealasaid. Surely, Emily wouldn't be that obvious. She punched the send button and waited, hoping she was right.

"Hello, Emma," the cool and collected voice answered on the other end.

She recognized it immediately. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. She wiped her face and stared back at the screen before answering.

"Hello, Ambassador."

"What's wrong?" the Ambassador asked.

"She's missing."

"Have the protocols been put into place?"

"Yes."

"And, who is going after her?"

"Mac went to get help," she told the Ambassador.

"From?"

"America."

"Does she know?"

"Does who know?" she questioned, suddenly feeling like she had no idea what was really going on with the entire situation.

"Never mind, Emma. I will call her myself. Where are you now?"

"Headquarters in Dumbarton."

"Come back to London."

"When?" she asked surprised by the order.

"As soon as you can get here. We don't have time to waste. I'll call Easter myself. I'll expect you here in a few hours. Make sure that you pack accordingly. You will be going with them."

"I don't work the field. You've made sure of that, remember? Why now?"

"You will this time. You'll be leading this mission. Just get yourself here. I'll take care of the rest. Easter still owes me for some of her...past dealings."

"I can be there in about six hours if I drive."

"Can you fly?"

"No, it would raise too much suspicion. I shouldn't be talking to you. I don't work for you."

"You work for the world, Emma J. Don't forget that. I certainly haven't. I'll take care of whatever paperwork, legal or not, that you need. Get your gear and get to the Embassy. That is an order. The world needs you now. Emily needs you, now," the Ambassador stated.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And, Emma?"

"Yes?"

"Be careful. I can't lose you, too. I'll see you by the morning."

"Yes, ma'am," she replied ringing off the phone.

She dropped it to the desk. Her mind turned back to the conversation, replaying it over and over again. Who was the "her" that the Ambassador was referring to? She had knowledge on Prentiss going back as far as she dared. She knew about Doyle and the following debacles in the States with him and his former wife. She sifted through each piece of information that she had on Emily and she couldn't find a "her" that stood out enough that the Ambassador would break ranks and/or protocol to notify.

Emily was single. She was trained. She was an operative and an agent. To the outside world that didn't seem to be two different jobs, but it was. She belonged really to no one in the world but the intelligence community. She could move and assimilate accordingly. It was another reason she was so deadly and effective. She could be anything or anyone, quickly. And, she was just like Emily in every respect.

She reached under her desk and grabbed her bag. She would head down into the locker room and gather her field gear and another bag. She was going, knowing that she would be in field fast. They just needed a starting point. She turned around and grabbed two flash drives and her air card. She could use any laptop or computer anywhere with them. And no matter what, they wouldn't be able to find her by it.

"Underwood?" she stated coming out of her office.

"Yes, Captain?" Underwood asked her, jumping to attention.

"Call Easter. Tell him I am on my way to the gala at the American Embassy. The Ambassador has requested my presence. I will not be in contact for a few days. If the Colonel comes looking for me, tell him to call Easter. I will call when I have an update on my return. Tell Chaplin and Stokes to be ready for a possible call," she told him walking out the office and towards the locker rooms downstairs.

She stood in front of her locker. She pulled out an assault bug and sat it on the wooden bench behind her. She let out a pent up breath and sat down beside it. She reached in the bag and pulled out a tight pair of jeans, some socks, boy shorts, a sports bra and a light blue, V-neck, short-sleeved shirt. She grabbed a towel and headed for the showers. She knew that now was the time to relax and get her shower in, because once she got to London, she wouldn't know when she would get the next one.

* * *

They were all sitting on the plane waiting for Hotch to tell them what they were going to do. They were all worried about Emily, but they were all still wondering about Amelia and Mac, too. Everyone but Hotch was staring at the red-haired Scotsman and wondering what he wasn't telling them.

"Alright this is going to be a long flight. We are going to talk about the case for a few minutes and then I want everyone to get some sleep. We have almost eight hours until we land. So let's discuss what we know and what we don't so we can figure out what we need to know."

JJ and Garcia passed around the hastily made case folders to everyone. Hotch gave them a few minutes to glance over the information that they had. It wasn't much and that worried JJ more than anything.

* * *

_"There isn't much here on Amelia, Mac. What can you tell us about her? What is she like?"_

_"What do you want to know?" he asked, not sure how to answer._

_"Everything. You seem to know her better than her dossier. So what do we need to know?" JJ asked him._

She stood in from of the mirrors over the sinks, staring into her own dark eyes. She ran a hand over her face and sighed. She was mentally preparing herself for the coming mission. She didn't know what she was heading into, but she knew it was bad. She was the only constant contact that Emily had when she was in the field. She was the one that relayed the information. That is why she was being called.

_"Her body could tell you her story better than I could."_

_"Says here that she is attached to the 23 SAS, how does that work?" Morgan asked._

_"She doesn't really belong to anyone. She really doesn't have a title per se. She is attached to MI-5 and Interpol, but she stationed with 23 SAS. She trains with them, teaches them things, but she is never in the field with them. If she does get a mission, it is for MI-5 or Interpol," Mac answered._

_"So, does she have a designation with the 23__rd__?" Reid asked._

_"She is on paper a captain for Her Majesty's Royal Army Special Forces."_

She sat down in front of her locker and grabbed the assault bag, setting it on the bench. She got her jeans, underwear and bra on. She sat the shirt to the side. She grabbed her socks and put them on.

She sighed again. It had been too long since she had gone out on a mission. Was she actually ready?

_"She was pulled out of the field and made an analyst in 2011, why?"_

_"We don't know. She was in Afghanistan. She had been attached to several different task forces while she was there. Suddenly Easter gets an order from MI-5, bring her home and put her on a desk. We don't know where the order came from," Mac answered._

_"She doesn't seem to be one that would take that lying down. I am guessing that she wasn't too happy about it when she got home. So, what did she do about?" Rossi asked._

She grabbed her bag and emptied it, tossing everything that had been it in the bottom of her locker. She picked up her shirt off the bench and put it on. She reached over and grabbed a pair of combat boots. She put them on under her pants leg.

Once she was done dressing, she grabbed her assault bag. She reached into the locker and grabbed two black t-shirts, two sports bras, two sets of underwear, and two pairs of black tactical pants. She grabbed the Army issued webbed black belt and stuffed it inside.

_"She spent six months looking for who gave the order," Mac told him._

_"Did she find out who it was?" Reid asked, looking up from the file._

_"She did. She wasn't happy about it, but she learned to deal with it. And, before you ask, she didn't tell anyone about it either. She started desk duty as soon as she got home to London. Whatever she said to the Ambassador worked, though."_

_"Ambassador?"_

_"What exactly is the plan on this, my man?" Morgan asked interrupting JJ's train of thought._

She grabbed her utility belt. She made sure that she undid the garrison style Glock 17 holster and added the tactical thigh holster instead. She looked at the set of cuffs sitting in the back of her locker. She knew that she wasn't going to need them on this mission. She rooted around until she found her two combat knives and her clutch piece. She was going to go as lightly, but heavily armed as she could.

She put it all in the bag and stood preparing to go. She checked the bag for extra magazines for the Glock. She was satisfied when she found her two spares.

She closed her locker and locked it. She left the locker room and headed down to the arms room. She knew that no one would question her when she walked in.

_"I am going to have to default to Easter."_

_"You don't have a plan?" Morgan questioned, and suddenly the entire team was worried._

_"My part of the plan was to bring you to London and Easter. He is pulling the protocols for this. This isn't like the time with Doyle. This is worse."_

_"How?" Hotch asked._

_"The person or persons we believe are responsible are part of a rouge group from Palestine."_

_"Jihadists?" Rossi questioned._

_"Not according to the intel we have. They are a sect of the PLO. They are trying to liberate Palestine and kill Jews. They don't care about anything else."_

She walked passed the armorer and the supply sergeants. She walked over to a weapons locker and took a Glock 17 out. She checked in the clearing barrel and then put it in her bag. She walked over to another locker and selected some ammo. She took two boxes, again, putting them in the bag. She glanced over at the SA80s, but decided to wait to take one. She knew that she might be in enough trouble just taking what she was.

She crossed the room to the supply side. She grabbed a set of ballistic sunglasses. She tucked those into her t-shirt. She rooted around until she found a plate carrier in her size.

She knew that a flak vest wasn't going to protect her against the men that took Emily. They weren't worried about dying. They were willing to die for their cause. She wasn't willing to die for them.

_"Do you have a name?"_

_"Of?" Mac asked, unsure of what Hotch meant by the question._

_"The group? What is their name? Who is their leader?"_

_"They call themselves Rashidi. The leader seems to be Hashim Abd Al-Aziz Bin Abdul-Rashid. He lives in the Golan region, but no one has gotten a fix on him. The Mossad had been trying for years to find him."_

_"They won't," Reid stated._

_"What is that?" Hotch asked him._

_"It is in his name," Reid stated._

_"What is it, Pretty Boy?" Morgan inquired._

_"His name literally means 'breaker' or 'breaker of bread.' It is most likely a title for the Rashidi. The rest of his name is more than likely his rank or something close to it."_

_"What does that mean?" Hotch asked._

_"Abd Al-Aziz means servant of the King. The other…Bin Abdul-Rashid means son of the servant of the Righteous Guidance. If you take it literally, he is like a father figure to all of the Rashidi. They see themselves as on a path set by Allah to free Palestine from the Jews. They will protect him because he is the one that Allah has chosen to lead them."_

_"So, he could be anywhere," Ross stated._

_"Basically, yes," Reid replied._

She exited the supply room and headed back upstairs. Once she cleared the main halls, she made her way to the parking area. She rustled through a front pocket on her assault bag and found a set of keys. She clicked the remote and waited for a vehicle to sound off and light up. It didn't take her long before she found it.

At the end of the lot was a black Range Rover LR2. She knew that it would have upgrades that weren't factory. She smiled as she threw her bag in the passenger seat and got in.

She started the vehicle and started on her drive to London. She knew that she needed to relax. It was a six hour drive, but she needed to stay alert. If they found Emily, they might trace things back to her.

_"Garcia," Hotch started to say looking at her on the laptop screen._

_"Already on it, my liege," the analyst told him as she was furiously typing away._

_Mac's phone rang. He took the call. Answering in clipped Gaelic that no one could understand. All the agents watched him and waited to see if the call was going to mean more information for them and the case._

_"I hope you brought some nice clothes," he told them as he hung up._

_"Why?" Hotch asked him._

_"Seems the Ambassador is throwing a gala in your honor," he told them._

She pulled on to M6 and started to make her way to London. She turned on the radio and made some calls on her cell phone to some of her SAS buddies in Birmingham. She warned them to be prepared for a mission. She'd let them know more as she could. They all knew better than to question her. If she gave them speculation of a mission, they knew that they were going. They went on alert. She smiled as she drove the road, knowing that the Ambassador had made calls before she even got out of Dumbarton.

She dropped the phone in the center console and turned the music up. She couldn't believe that she was driving to the Ambassador's house. She couldn't believe the turn of events. The Ambassador got her pulled out of interrogations and now, the Ambassador was asking for her help in finding Emily. She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to acknowledge the fact that it was her own grandmother that pulled her out of the field and now she wanted her to go save Emily.

The vehicle's blue tooth rang. She reached over to the dash and made the "other" features screen pop up. She checked the road and then tapped the answer call button.

"Amelia?"

"Yes?"

"Not...in...Germany."

"Emily?"

"Amelia?"

"Birmingham…tell Mom. Go to Birmingham. Call Blackbird. She'll know what to do."

"Emily?" she asked again as the line went dead.

She wanted to scream, but she knew that it would do her no good. She grabbed the burner cell and scrolled right to the number. Her finger hovered over the number. She hit a bump in the road and her finger hit the call. It rang twice.

"Jareau," the voice on the other line answered, not realizing that she answered the other phone.

"Blackbird?" Amelia asked.

"Yes," JJ answered, waking up quickly and standing from the bench seat on the plane.

She moved about the cabin. She didn't want to wake anyone else. She wasn't sure what this call meant. But, she knew that it meant life or death for Emily.

"Go with your team to Winfield House. Check in with the Ambassador. Then you come to me."

"Where are you?"

"Once I get a base line, I'll call back. You still have the other cell? The one she gave you?"

"Of course," JJ answered.

"Has the Ambassador called you?"

"She hasn't, yet."

"When she does, tell her that you are coming to me. Tell no one else. Understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Now, sleep. I'll see you in a few hours. I'll contact you around eighteen hundred."

"I'll be waiting," JJ said as she hung up the burner.

She walked back over to the bench and sat down. She looked over at all the other agents, but she knew that she would leave as soon as they landed she would find Elizabeth. She would talk to her about the protocols that Emily had put into place and then she would have to sneak out of the Ambassador's residence with Hotch and the rest of them noticing. She looked up at Morgan. He was going to be the hardest to lose, but she would have to…for Emily's sake.

"All the mistakes I ever made in life were when I wanted to say 'no' and said 'yes'." Moss Hart


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Mistakes are part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from." Al Franken

She pulled up to the gates of the Embassy and sighed. She dug around in her bag until she found her SAS credentials. She flashed them at the Marine outside gates guarding the compound. She smiled at him and it sickened her that she was even there. She couldn't understand why she had actually acquiesced to coming there instead of heading to Birmingham and assembling her team. She could be halfway to wherever and ready to get Emily out by now. Damn her sense of duty for stopping there first. Damn her sense of obligation to Emily that she was willing to wait because Elizabeth asked her to. Damn her pride for it all.

"Park to the left of the lot, Captain Benton. The Ambassador is waiting for you. Mr. Pettigrew will escort you from the lot to her," the young Marine told her as he gave her back her credentials.

She just smiled at him as she tossed them back into the bag. She sure as hell didn't look like a captain in Her Majesty's Royal Army at the moment. She smiled faded as she pulled forward and saw David Pettigrew waiting for her in the small lot to the side of the house.

"David," she stated getting out of the Range Rover and gathering both of her bags.

"Amelia."

"Fancy meeting you here," she replied.

"She is waiting for you in her private office. I am sure that you remember which one it is. I am sure that you don't need me to take you. This is all just a formality, I am sure."

"I'm sure," she replied, heading into the house.

She walked in and the Marines on guard there, saluted. Security had been heightened. She knew that it would be. She wasn't off guard. She was completely on guard. She wasn't surprised to see Elizabeth in the parlor waiting for her.

She didn't say a word to her. She passed her and continued on to the room that she knew was waiting on her. She didn't have a lot of time and she needed to get some things taken care of before she took off. She sat down at the desk in the room and grabbed some paper and two envelopes. She started to write two letters…two letters that she thought that she would never have to write, that she hoped that she would never have to write. One was an explanation and the other was a last will and statement.

Her mind drifted away from London, away from the UK and back to Afghanistan. It fell into the darkness of the war and the horrors she'd seen. She knew that Diana wouldn't understand why she was doing what she was doing, but she couldn't let the darkness that surrounded the Prentiss family fall on her and Charlie. She had to protect them. She had to save them.

She knew that they took Emily because of her. She'd been scanning the traffic from all the intelligence channels. She'd been waiting for a glimmer of hope, some sort of chatter that would tell her where Emily really was. Emily had given her the first clue that she wasn't in Germany, but she didn't know how much time she had. Time was the enemy. She needed to move quickly.

She didn't even care when Pettigrew brought her an early dinner. He sat in the room with her and went over the reports coming in. Had it been anyone else, she would have either killed them or threatened it. She knew that once Pettigrew had retired, he went to work for the Ambassador. He had recruited her, trained her and sculpted her into the agent she was. Then, he left.

He was the one that found her Afghanistan. He was the one that brought her back to London. He was the one that gave her a family that she didn't know she really had, but knew that has at the same time. He was the link to her upheaval and she still trusted him above anyone else…except Emily. He was the father she'd lost. He was the mentor she needed. He had never betrayed her. He gave her the truth when no one else would.

He left the room with their empty plates. He didn't understand the codes anymore. He didn't know what to look for. He was trying to help and protect her still. She would thank him later for that, but she knew that his loyalties were with the Ambassador now, not necessarily the Crown. She couldn't fault him for that. He'd earned that right.

"You'll find her, Aims. If anyone can find her in that mess, it will be you. Don't lose hope."

"It isn't hope that I fear," she told him.

"Then what is it?"

"Finding out that I am my mother's daughter in more ways than I want to admit," she answered him plainly, staring into the greying man's green eyes.

They softened. He knew what she meant. For years she'd questioned who she really was, and he'd helped her look for that identity. Emily Prentiss was her mother, but she hadn't raised her. Elizabeth Prentiss was the Ambassador to Britain and her grandmother, but she didn't know anything about Amelia except what Pettigrew had given her or told her. She was getting the family she'd always wanted after Matthew died, a family that Matthew had promised her when she turned fifteen. She knew that her father had been in contact with Elizabeth all thru her childhood, but that didn't give her the consolation that she'd hoped for. She had been an orphan since birth, always striving to prove herself, always hoping that she would find the love of a parent that was her own and not manufactured. She just wanted to know her mother.

Was it cruel that she worked with Emily but never saw her? Yes. Did she do anything to change it? No. She kept herself at a distance because that is what she thought Emily wanted. It wasn't until she got Pettigrew to admit that Elizabeth was the reason she was pulled out the war after Emily rushed back to the States late last year that she realized her family, her blood, wanted her.

And, she didn't know what to do about it. It had been the main topic of debate when she actually visited the Ambassador. She shook her head. She couldn't think of that now. She had to find Emily. That was the mission. She had to focus. Emily. The mission. The chatter.

And, then she heard the one thing that made her heart sink further into the despair that had been building since earlier that morning. Israel. Palestine. Jordan. Germany. Jordan. Everything kept coming back to Jordan. She grabbed her maps from the pack. She pulled grabbed the laptop that Pettigrew brought in with him. She hooked up the air card and her thumb drives and set it to search the chatter. She needed a location. She needed to be sure.

She didn't know how to feel. She had seen the newest intelligence that was coming in from all channels. There was so much chatter that she didn't know what to believe. She could only go with what she knew and her gut. And right now, she didn't really like what her gut was telling her.

Elizabeth walked into the bedroom and sat the edge of the four poster solid English oak bed. She watched as Amelia continued to furiously type at the laptop she'd provided. She saw both the air card and both thumb drives in it. She could only wonder what her granddaughter was seeing. She hazarded a guess that it wasn't good by the look on her face. She sighed and then asked the inevitable.

"It isn't good, is it?"

"No, it isn't."

"Can you tell me anything?"

"Not that you want to hear."

She regarded her granddaughter, again. She had the same hollow look in her eyes that Emily got, especially after Doyle. It was the same look she had when she came back to London and joined Interpol, the same look that she had after Emily had rescued JJ from flashings. But, now, seeing it in her granddaughter's eyes, it was haunting.

"I called JJ like Emily wanted."

"JJ?" Amelia asked, this time looking up from the laptop.

"Blackbird," Elizabeth answered.

"She's Blackbird?"

"Who else would it be?" Elizabeth asked her, wondering how much her granddaughter actually knew beyond what was on paper about Emily.

"I should have known. She did answer the phone Jareau. How long have you known?"

"How long have you been on a desk?" Elizabeth replied in question.

"Are you serious? And, you didn't think to tell me? Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Because, it was need to know, just like JJ didn't know about you. Just like I really didn't know about you. Kinda like you didn't tell Emily who you really are, Amelia."

"I am a Prentiss."

"I know that. You know that. Hell by now, JJ knows that. But, Emily doesn't."

"She didn't need to know," Amelia replied going back to the laptop.

"She didn't need to know than her daughter is following in her footsteps. She didn't need to know that her daughter has a dark past much like her own. She didn't need to know that her daughter was her intelligence handler. Come on, Amelia. Do you honestly believe that she is that stupid?"

"She believes that I am one of your former husband's indiscretion's bastard children. She believes than I am her sister, half-sister if anything. She doesn't need to know that I am the mistake she gave up. I've gotten over it. I am sure that she has, too. We are liabilities to each other. Why do you think that I have never taken the Prentiss name? It was to protect you all from what I had done," Amelia stated.

"But yet, you still bear her name," Elizabeth added.

"I was given that name. I like it. I've kept it."

"What is the original birth name that Matthew gave you?" Elizabeth asked.

"You should know. You've pulled all my files, some of which you were never supposed to see. It is the Italian one. The French one is the one that I use for government paperwork. It was the only way that I could protect Emily once I knew who Amelia I. P. Benton was," Amelia told her.

"So you use Aimee Isabelle Sabon instead?"

"It is a nod to your French forebears," Amelia stated. "I really need to study this. I am sorry. I need to know what to do to find her. I have called in many favors. Let me play this out my way. I'll bring her home. My name doesn't matter for that."

"It doesn't, no. But, her team, her American family, is coming to help you. They have already been notified that you will be taking point. What do you need from me?"

"Keep them away from me."

"I can't do that. JJ will demand to help you. I won't be able to stop her once she gets here. You should already know that. She commandeered an Interpol jet to protect Emily before they got Doyle."

"I am counting on that."

"You've already spoken with her?"

"Briefly."

"She'll come to you."

"I know that."

"You're planning on it?" Elizabeth asked already knowing the answer.

"I am."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to Birmingham."

"Why?" Elizabeth asked her confused.

"I have things that I need to take care of there," Amelia answered her staring over the laptop.

She watched her again as she went back to work. Elizabeth could tell that she was hiding something, but she couldn't tell what it was. She finally stood up from the desk and walked across the room, stopping in front of her grandmother. She handed her two letters.

"Give this room to JJ when she gets here. She will find what she needs in here," she told waving her hands around the room, "I need you to provide her with a vehicle with a GPS. She will be blind here and we both know it. I will leave her with some supplies. It is imperative that the rest of her team does not know when she is leaving, where she is going and who is meeting. I know that Clyde sent Mac to get them. I deal with that. I need them to go to Germany. They need to clean up the mess there. I will bring Emily back. I swear."

"You want me to lie to them?"

"No, I don't want you to help them. Let them go to Germany and start their search there. By the time they do, JJ should already be with me. Time is of the essence. I don't have time to wait for their bureaucratic bullshit. If I do, she dies," Amelia said matter-of-factly.

"Why are you taking this so personally?" Elizabeth asked her.

"The letter addressed to you will explain everything. There are instructions for a contingency plan should JJ and I fail. If we fail...do not come for us. If we have failed, then Emily is dead already. Help them stop the terrorists. That is their mission, now. She is mine."

"Why is this personal for you, Amelia?" she questioned more strongly.

"Because they don't want Emily, Grams. They are using her to get to me. And, it's worked. I will destroy them all for this," she replied and Elizabeth could see the deadly promise in her eyes.

"Sabon, huh?"

"I know how to do my research, too," Amelia replied.

"Most wouldn't have dug that far."

"Most are in politics and intelligence," Amelia responded.

"What else do you need me to do?"

"If a woman named Diana comes to you, take her in."

"Diana?"

"She may have a small girl with her," she told Elizabeth, moving about more quickly.

"Who?"

"Her name is Diana. The girls name is Charlie. Promise me that you will care for them," she told her picking up the bags and some other gear that she has spread out on the bed.

"I will," Elizabeth told her, unsure of what it all meant.

"I need to go."

"You've just gotten here."

"I need to be in Birmingham. There is nothing here that I need. There is nothing here that is going to help me bring her home. I came here to appease you. Nothing more. I have to go. I've already made some arrangements. Like I said, make sure that JJ gets this room. It is imperative."

"'I will."

"Thank you."

"Will I see you again?" Elizabeth asked her granddaughter nervously as she watched her shut down the laptop, pulled the air card and the thumb drives.

"That is the plan," Amelia said grabbing the larger pack off the desk.

Elizabeth just watched her as she moved about the room. She had given it to her years ago, allowed her to do whatever it was that she wanted there. It was to be Amelia's haven when she was in London. She hardly visited, but when she did, it did Elizabeth's heart good. Their relationship may not have been one that she wanted and it may have been thirty years too late, but at least she knew who her granddaughter was. She wasn't still searching and wondering. She knew who she was and for the most part where she was in the world. She was proud of her for everything that she had accomplished.

"I'm going to bring her home."

"This isn't good-bye?" Elizabeth asked her.

"Not if I can help it."

Amelia knew that her grandmother was hurting, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't be the granddaughter that she wanted. She wasn't brought up to be a Prentiss. She wasn't used to the glitz, glamor, and riches. She was a fighter. She always had been. Even when she was in the States at school, she fought. She got into every martial art she could. She would have joined ROTC if the school had a program.

She had been fighting since she could remember. Fighting to prove her worth to her Grandparents, the Bentons in New York. Fighting to prove her worth at Yale. She had always been in Emily's shadow even though Emily had never been there. She was sure that Emily thought she was dead. How else had she ended up in New York in 1995 after the crash in Paris? How else had the Prentisses not known of her existence?

She moved about the room quickly and efficiently. She knew that Elizabeth didn't know what she kept there. It was better for them both that she didn't. She crossed over to a wardrobe and opened it. When she opened it, Elizabeth could see the many different costumes that she kept in there. Only they weren't costumes, they were undercover clothes. They would help her hide in plain sight.

She grabbed some clothes and stuffed them in one bag. Then she grabbed a similar set and stuffed them into another bag. She rooted around in the wardrobe and pulled out some tactical gear. She shoved it into the bag, too. She didn't say a word as she kept packing the two bags with similar items. It wasn't until she pulled out several boxes of ammo that Elizabeth made a sound.

"Don't worry. No one will ever know I was here. Captain Amelia Benton dies tonight, Ambassador."

"Who will take her place?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Aimee Elizabeth Prentiss."

"So you're going to finally admit who you are?"

"After this mission, I won't be able to hide behind a name that was never mine to begin with. It was wishful thinking on Father's part. He wanted to marry Emily. He wanted us to be a family, but she wasn't ready or wouldn't be ready. I am not sure."

"Who knows with Emily?" Elizabeth answered.

"I just wish I knew who my real father was," Amelia told her, watching Elizabeth surprise at the news.

Elizabeth's heart broke. She knew that Emily would never tell her. She has always just assumed that it was Matthew. And, now, she knew that it wasn't.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. She just watched as her granddaughter, a woman she thought she knew, but realized she didn't, picked up her bags and walked out the door. She knew that Amelia was leaving the house and leaving everything behind. She would run away from it all and hide into another identity. Clyde and Mac hadn't been wrong about her. She was Emily's doppelgänger…in every sense, and that broke her heart even more as she watched another brunette, another loved one walking away into nothingness.

"Sometimes the strongest among us are the ones who smile though the silent pain, cry behind closed doors, and fight battles that no one knows about." Unknown


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." Bruce Lee

The smell of sweat, heat and wood filled her nose. She tried to open her eyes and found it hard. Her head lulled around and fell forward. She forced her eyes to open. Emily rested her head against the post. She didn't know what time it was. Hell, she didn't even know what day it was anymore. All she knew is where she wasn't. She wasn't in her loft in London. She wasn't in the condo in DC. Hell, she wasn't even in Germany. She knew that much.

She racked her brain for anything, anything that she might remember. She was trying to figure out where she went wrong with the op. They had everything set up. Any scenario that she could think of they prepared for. This was not part of the plan. How did this happen? How did she get separated from her team? How did she end up God knows where?

She knew by now that her team knew that she had been taken. They had to have. She didn't want to think of the possibility that they didn't. Nor did she want to entertain the fact that they were dead. No, she had to keep her spirits up. She had believed that she was going to be rescued. This wasn't like with Doyle. She trusted her team to have her back. They knew where she was and who she was with. They would come. They had to come.

She leaned back against the post again and took in her surroundings. The wooden floor gave away nothing. She could be anywhere. The post told her the same thing. She turned her head slightly, trying to find a door or window. There was a door about five feet from her, but no windows. She had no way to gauge time there. There was a light on, but with no outside sources she still didn't know what time it was. The room was just a non-descript wooden box. It couldn't more than ten by ten by eight. She was basically in a wooden cube and chained to a stake near the middle of it.

She pulled on her restraints. Cuffs and chain, not particularly original, but highly effective in the position she was in. She felt around and realized that they were double locked. Police issue of some sort. So, they weren't cheap cuffs. She felt the chain. It was very thick, but it would provide enough resistance that she couldn't just pull free. She could fight cuffed, but she couldn't fight cuffed and bound to a post, especially when her hands were behind her back. This was not helping her prospects of getting out of there unscathed.

She didn't try to stand up. She figured being on the floor was safe enough for now. She turned her head again, back towards the other side of the room. Her neck hurt from the movement, but she assumed that it was from being in one position too long. She could taste blood in her mouth, but she would survey the rest of her body later. Now, she needed to worry about her surroundings and try to find a way out of there.

She did a quick glace around the room. Wood planking and ply board surrounded her. She could feel the warmth of the day seeping through it, but that didn't tell her much. Warmth didn't really mean anything. She sniffed the air. She couldn't smell anything. Then she saw the small vent across the room. It was pumping in air, but just enough to keep her in oxygen. She could feel the slight breeze, but she knew it wasn't from outside. The air was too sterile.

She had to rest. She had to keep up her strength. She had to preserve her body for along as she could. Her head felt heavy. She felt it more than she realized that she moved it as it hit the post again. She let out breath and tried to find something to focus on.

Her head lolled to the side. Her neck screamed in pain, but she didn't utter a word. This was nothing compared to what she'd already been through and what she knew might be coming. Twenty-four hours…that is what she could take. Twenty-four hours of straight torture before her mind would shut down and she would scream, beg, and plead for mercy and death.

Before she could take stock of what was wrong with her body, she heard Arabic outside the door to the room she was in. It was then that she confirmed that she wasn't in Germany. She was somewhere warm, hot even. They had taken her to somewhere in the Middle East. She realized that this was not good and needed to find a way to contact the team.

Her anger started brewing before she could calm herself. She now knew that if she escaped her captors, she would have one helluva fight to get back home. She needed to make a call. She needed to help them find her. She couldn't give up.

She pulled on the chains again, trying to gauge how much slack she had. She could hear the harsh words but she couldn't make them out where she was sitting. She hoped that she had enough slack chain to move closer to the door. She still didn't try to stand as she scooted across the floor towards the door.

The door flung open as soon as she gain the small foot that she had been allotted. The two men that were behind the door just stared at her. They didn't know what to do with her. One of them just yanked her back across the wood plank floor to the thick wooden post. He muttered under his breath some slurs in Arabic, but she didn't pay him any attention. Her eyes were focused on the other man.

She wondered who he was. Was he the one in charge? She just didn't know. He didn't say a word while he was in there. Not once did he utter a word. He talked to the other man with his eyes and simple gestures. Did Emily know who he was? She tried to memorize every feature about him, from his slightly curly black hair to his trimmed beard. She watched as he studied her. What was he waiting for?

She didn't blink. She couldn't. She was so thirsty, but she'd be damned if she'd ask for it. She didn't want them to know she spoke Arabic. She could gather more intel this way. She swallowed heavily and the silent man seemed to take the hint.

The man that had moved her left the room for a short period. When he came back, he had a bottle of water in his hand. She just stared at him as he crossed the wooden floor to where she was. He reached behind her and loosen the cuffs just enough to change their position. Once her hands were in front of her and the heavy chain that was keeping her fastened to the post was maneuvered so she could move about a little more, he handed her the bottle.

"Thanks," Emily replied.

The man regarded her for a second. She watched him as he turned back to the quiet one. They didn't say anything. Their bodies said enough. She could tell that they were uncomfortable with her being there.

She took a long drink of the water. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't hot. She wanted to spit and get the blood and dirt out of her mouth, but she wasn't going to show any weakness in front of them. She swished the water around her mouth, coating it entirely, and swallowed. She knew that her stomach would revolt at what she was swallowing but she resolved to swallow the bile that might coming back later. She took another drink hoping that she could convince her stomach to cooperate with her for a little while longer.

"I am glad to see you are awake now, Emily," the curly haired quiet man told her.

She merely cocked her eyebrow at him. She didn't know if she should respond any further to him. He hadn't moved from where he was standing. He was watching her, gauging her reaction and she knew it. She continued to drink the bottle of water, hoping to hydrate herself as much as possible, because she sure as hell didn't know when they were going to give her more.

"Still the same fire, I see."

He moved finally taking two steps to the right and away from the door. He knelt down before her. She took him in like she would any other UnSub. She noted the way he was dressed, the way he moved, and the way he talked. He was telling her more about himself than he knew.

"You study me with your eyes. So inquisitive. I wonder how you have forgotten me after so many years. Was I your first, Emily? Can you not remember who I am?" he asked.

She studied him harder. The khaki cargo pants fit him remarkably well, and in other circumstances it might have mattered. The green military t-shirt that stretched across his chest just accentuated his musculature. He was buff and he knew it. His belt was aligned with what people in the military called a "gig" line. His whole outfit was perfection. He knew it.

Looking back up at him she realized that he had some sort of elite military training. With his complexion she would guess somewhere in the Middle East. His slight accent lent credence to this placing him in Egypt or possibly Western Iraqi, but he knew Emily almost on a personal level. She couldn't rule out that he wasn't a Saudi or Yemeni. She knew that he wasn't Iranian or Syrian. They would have just killed her and paraded her corpse through the streets.

"You have forgotten where you know me from?" he asked already knowing the answer.

She just watched him. She didn't blink. She took in his every gesture, movement, tick and cataloged them. She was searching her head for matching intel. And, for a split second, she wished that she had Reid's memory. There were too many emotional breaks in her memories for her to lock onto a specific memory and remember who he was.

"_Kalla muskila, _Emily. You will remember in time. That is all you have now with me: Time. And, don't worry, I plan on making the most of it."

"Oh, I am not worried about you," Emily told him, getting as comfortable as she could next to the wooden post and sitting as smugly as she could.

He laughed. He actually smiled at her. He walked back across the room and left.

Emily heard more Arabic outside the door. She couldn't make out the muffled sounds. She moved a close as she dared to the door, but she still couldn't make out anything. She moved back when she heard footsteps coming towards the door.

She mentally counted them. She was trying to time them as they come closer to the door. It would give her a rough distance and possibly a direction outside the door. She needed to find a way out and that door was the only. She needed to get as much information as she could.

A straight haired, tall, Arab man came into the room. She looked at him. She saw his hands and noticed the bloody knuckles. He wasn't coming in there to check on her. He was coming in there to loosen her up for questioning.

She cocked her head and popped her neck. It hurt, but she was preparing her body to take the hits that she knew were about to come. She took a few deep breaths and followed him around the room with just her eyes. She couldn't look afraid. She couldn't let him know that she knew that he was there to beat her. She had to keep her wits about her.

Then, she saw it. He had a satellite phone on his side. She recognized the antenna on it. She could make a call if she could get to the phone.

She smirked as he circled around her. She gathered the excess chain in her hands and pulled it as close to her body as she could. She continued to follow his movements with her eyes, not betraying her body's movements. She just needed him to get close enough.

He foolishly thought that she wasn't that dangerous chained to that post. She actually smirked at him. He bent over to look her closer in the eyes. As his dark eyes met hers, she moved.

She had the excess chain around his neck quickly. She heard him cough, but she didn't let up. She really didn't want to kill him, but she needed him to pass out. She needed the time to call on the phone. She changed her grip on him and he finally passed out. His weight fell onto her and she sighed. She managed to roll him off of her. She saw the phone. She didn't know how long she would have and she only needed one number.

She dialed the number to the Interpol office. She didn't have to wait long before someone picked up. She didn't wait for them to finish the greeting before she interrupted them.

"That's nice, Mr. Cotton. I am Agent Emily Prentiss. I need you to connect me with Lilly Swift. This is an emergency. Protocol Omega Churchill Seven Juno needs to be in effect."

"Roger that, Emily. Wait while I connect you. Good luck, agent," the man told her.

Seconds later, Lilly was on the line asking, "Emily, where are you?"

"I don't know. Has the Ambassador been notified? What are they doing?"

"Mac went to America on Clyde's orders. The Ambassador has called but we have no information. She's arranged a gala for the incoming agents as they get an operation together to rescue you. Is there anything that you can tell me?" Lilly questioned.

"No."

"Nothing?"

"Has Amelia been alerted?" Emily asked, changing tactics.

"She's being brought in."

"Brought in?"

"She was in Dumbarton working with the 23 SAS. MI-5 has already been in to see what they can do. She was on her way here last I talked to her. She told Clyde to activate protocol Lucky Celtic Crow five."

"Damn it!"

"What?"

"Nothing. I need you to connect me to a number. Can you get me an outside line?"

"Of course," Lilly told her.

"I'll dial it from my end."

"Yes, ma'am," Lilly replied.

Emily heard the line click and then the dial tone. She punched the number in from memory. She silent counted. Three minutes had passed. How much longer would she have?

The line rang twice. She didn't know where Amelia was, but she needed to talk to her above all the rest. She could stop the craziness in a mission to rescue her. It would be too dodgy and not worth the risk of lives to save just hers.

"Amelia?"

"Yes?"

"Not in Germany."

"Emily?"

"Amelia?"

"Birmingham…tell Mom. Go to Birmingham. Call Blackbird. She'll know what to do."

She could only hope that Amelia understood the short and cryptic message. She had to believe that she did. She couldn't worry about it anymore. She needed to be more worried about the situation she found herself in and how she could survive before Amelia came to get her.

She hung up the line and put the phone back on the man. He would be none the wiser later. She'd erased her calls and her history. He would never know that he would have been the one that help her orchestrate her own rescue.

As he started to come to, she punched him squarely in the jaw. She knew that it would piss him off and that is what she needed. She needed him to believe that she'd gotten a few lucky punches in. On the flip side, she knew that doing it was going to cause her pain. He was going to her pain. She was ready for it.

"_Charria!_" he shouted out when her fist collided with his face.

She couldn't believe that he would use that kind of language around her, but then again, he didn't seem to be a gentleman. She expected no less from the men that were holding her captive. Her discussion with the man she assumed as in charge still plagued her. She didn't know how he was. The longer she thought about him the more she realized that she should have given Amelia more information. She just didn't know what to say.

She sighed. She really didn't want them coming after her, but she knew that she wouldn't have that choice. Clyde had already called Hotch. If Hotch knew, then JJ knew. If JJ knew, she would move mountains to get to Emily. She sighed again. She didn't want JJ in danger and somehow this was all her fault. She knew that. She knew that JJ would come, but she knew that her orders to Lilly and Amelia would keep her safe. She just hoped that her mother would allow Amelia to do what she had been trained to do as part of a secret extraction team.

She looked at the man who was still slightly heaped on the floor. She pulled back and got to her feet. She faked breathing hard. She needed him to believe that they were fighting. It didn't take long for his fists to start flying. Her ruse had worked.

She knew that she was at a disadvantage being chained to that post, but she was using the slack chain to her advantage. She moved faster than he could. It didn't protect her completely. He landed a few punches to her gut and face. The last punch he gave her was the most painful. He had finally gathered himself again and put his full weight behind it. She doubled over. As soon as she bent over, he hit her in the back of the head. She hit the wooded floor hard. Two more blows rained down on her before her body slumped completely.

She couldn't help but smile. Just before everything went dark, she heard the man gather himself up and open the door. There was some rather interesting Arabic, but it was so muffled and far away that she couldn't make any of it out before she passed out.

"Efforts and courage are nothing without purpose and direction." John F. Kennedy


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to things you do not want to feel" Johnny Depp

Elizabeth and David were outside the house. It hadn't been very long since Amelia had left, heading back to Birmingham. She ran a hand over her face and sighed.

"She'll find her, Liz," Pettigrew told her.

"I am not afraid of that, David."

"Then, what are you afraid of?"

"Them," she answered as the four black Land Rovers pulled through the gate.

She watched them park and steeled herself. She didn't know any more than they did, but she was sure that Aaron was going to ask her for an update, any update, on Emily. She simply didn't have anything to tell them. Then, she was going to have to lie to them about where Amelia was. She knew that Aaron might figure it out, but she had hoped that she would have more time to prepare herself for their arrival. Fifteen minutes in the early evening simply wasn't enough.

She plastered her best Ambassador Prentiss smile on her face and waited for the team to assemble. She wasn't surprised to see Morgan and JJ first. They were followed by Rossi and Reid. Behind them were Garcia and Aaron. The fourth vehicle had Mac and a member of the SAS team that was assigned to MI-5. Elizabeth didn't know him.

"Pettigrew?" Mac asked as he came to the front.

"Yes, JR. I work for the Ambassador. Please if you'll follow me. We have set up a war room of sorts for you. Ms. Garcia, I am sure that you will want to check our equipment before you begin. If you need anything, just ask for it. I will get it for you personally."

"Thank you," she replied and followed him in the house.

Rossi, Reid, Mac, the officer, and Morgan followed her in. They were going to begin setting up things so they could process it all. Aaron and JJ stayed behind, but Aaron approached her first.

"Elizabeth," he started.

"Aaron," she replied.

"We will find her."

"I have no doubt in that."

"We will find her," he reiterated, but he didn't know for who, himself or her.

"I know that, Aaron. Please come inside. I'll have the cook send in some food for you. I am sure that you are famished," she told him, moving back slightly and like a good hostess escorted him inside.

She knew that JJ was following. She could feel the quiet liaison turned profiler watching her. She would wait for her moment. They would talk alone. She would pass on Amelia's notes and tell her to go. She knew that they couldn't do it in from of Aaron though.

Once they were in their war room. Hotch divvied out assignments. He had Mac and Rossi going over the chatter. Morgan and Reid were trying to profile the group and find a base of operations for them. Hotch would help Garcia narrow down what to look for as she continued to pull chatter from the web and other intelligence agencies. He would speak to any foreign agency needed. He didn't care. He was going to find her.

"JJ?" he questioned, bringing her out of her daze.

"Yes, Hotch?" she answered quickly.

"Go talk to Elizabeth. She knows more than she thinks she does. I am sure that Emily has some sort of contingency plan in place. See if you can find out what it is and let us know," he told her.

If he had really been looking at her, he would have seen her wince. She knew the plan. He wasn't part of it. She was. She didn't want to do it. She didn't want to lie to Hotch, but she needed...no, she had to find Emily. She wondered what Amelia's part was in the plan. She had to know something. She'd called her on the plane. She'd called her "Blackbird." She had to be part of the plan somehow.

"JJ?" Hotch asked her when she didn't answer.

"Yeah?"

"Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'll go talk to her. I'll let you know what I find out."

"Look. I know that this is going to personal for you. She's your best friend. You've saved each other countless times, but I need you to objective here. Can you do that?" he asked her as she watched Elizabeth come to the doorway and study them both with her dark Prentiss eyes, so much like Emily's.

"It isn't going to be a problem, Hotch," she told him and then walked away towards Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, who had been watching the exchange, hadn't heard what Aaron had said to her, but she saw the effect. JJ's eyes hardened. It was the same look that Emily had given her in the video chat a little over a year ago when she had gone to rescue JJ. She tilted her head as she studied the younger profiler.

It was obvious to her that there was something between her and Emily, but she knew that they would never admit it. They couldn't. They had both changed in 2011 and in 20l4 when Hastings took JJ. Elizabeth saw the woman Interpol named "Lauren Reynolds" reborn. It was that look that scared Elizabeth more than anything, because she knew what it meant.

"Elizabeth, can we talk?" JJ asked her.

"Certainly, we'll go to my private office. This way," she replied, gesturing for JJ to follow her.

Pettigrew watched them. He watched as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. He looked puzzled for only a moment before he realized that Elizabeth wasn't taking her to her private office downstairs just off the study. He cocked his head and realized that she was taking her to Amelia's room. She knew that Elizabeth welcomed the help, but she wondered what she and Amelia had concocted earlier.

"Godspeed JJ. Find her for us all. Liz won't make it if you don't," he whispered as he entered the war room to help the rest of them track down the terror group responsible.

Upstairs in a lavish bedroom, Elizabeth stood in front of desk. It had a laptop, an assault bag, and a cell phone. She gave JJ a pointed look and JJ sat down there.

"What is all this? Amelia's plan? How am I meeting her?" JJ asked her, touching the gear left there.

"You're taking the Bentley. I'll have David pull it 'round for you. Amelia will tell you everything else. She'll be calling you soon. She doesn't know everything, JJ. She doesn't know who you are to Emily. She...she's...she's Emily's daughter and she has the same murder in her eyes. JJ, please. I don't care what you do, but bring them home to me. I cannot lose either of them," Elizabeth pleaded with her.

JJ just looked at Elizabeth. She didn't understand what she was saying. What did she mean that Amelia didn't know who JJ was to her? JJ was her friend, her best friend. She was the one that went through the State Department to make sure that Emily was protected while she was overseas hunting Doyle. She had set up all the fake names, passports, accounts for her. She used her connections to help Emily and she'd do it again if she needed to.

"Don't worry, JJ. Emily feels the same way. She would do anything for you, too," Elizabeth told her when her own face betrayed her thoughts.

"I don't know what you are talking about," JJ replied.

"I know you don't, JJ. I know. But, maybe one day, you both will."

Elizabeth left her in the room to look over the gear and other things that Amelia had left. JJ still sitting down behind the desk stared at the letters. She picked up the first one addressed to her.

"Blackbird, the time has come for us to rescue Lucky. I know that you are on the way and now, after two years, I know who you are finally. Grams will supply you with a car. I need you to drive to the Army Post in Birmingham. I will supply you with coordinates in which to meet me. Do not tell anyone of your location or where you are going. Secrecy is of the upmost importance. We have to move quickly. As soon as you can leave the Ambassador's residence, do so. She will cover for you long enough for you to get here. I know that you are tired, but the trip is just two hours. I will take care of things until you get here. We will leave for another destination shortly after you arrive, so please make haste. I will have other transportation ready. I don't have to remind you who we are fighting for and why we are going to do this my way. Burn this letter as soon as you are done reading it. The gear I left should fit you. If not, I'll get you new gear in Birmingham. Please come tonight. A.E.B."

JJ stared at the note for a few seconds more. She then stood up, crossed the room and tossed it into the fireplace. It was a warm day outside, but Elizabeth had made sure that the fire was going. She knew why. JJ stood in front of the fire place and looked at the pictures on the mantle. There were pictures of Emily as a child and sporadic pictures of Amelia as an adult.

She picked up one of the pictures and studied it. It was of Amelia, roughly aged fifteen. She would have been a senior in high school according to her dossier. She sighed and put it back on the mantle. Her mind was all over the map. She was worried about Emily. She wondered about Amelia. She was tired. She was anxious.

She walked back over to the desk. She grabbed the bag and looked through it. She found a pair of black cargo pants, a webbed belt, and a black tank top. She also found box of ammo. It was for a Glock 17. She smiled. She found the extra clips already loaded. She saw the ballistic glasses and smiled. The yellow tint was good for multiple environments. On the bottom of the bag was a plate carrier. She stuffed everything back into the bag.

She sighed. She knew what she had to do, but now she wasn't sure that she could. She would be leaving Hotch and the team behind. Could she do that for Emily? Would she go rogue to help her? She flopped down on the bed and stared at the canopy. There were too many questions and not enough time for her to make a truly informed decision. She had to save Emily. There was nothing else that mattered.

Elizabeth came back into the room. She had a plate in one hand and a set of keys in the other. She sat the plate down on the desk. She dropped the keys by the laptop.

"JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"I brought you a sandwich and some water. I figured that you would be hungry. It isn't much, but I hope it might hold you over for a while."

"Have you talked to Hotch?"

"I stepped in the room with them."

"And?" JJ asked.

"They are still going over all the intel that is coming in. Dr. Reid seems to be trying to pinpoint a location in Germany. Mac and Hotch are at odds about what to do once they get a location."

"You know that she isn't in Germany, don't you?" JJ questioned her.

"Amelia didn't think she was."

"And, you?"

"I know that my daughter trusted you and Amelia with her life above all others. I know that she would have fought to make contact with one of you. Knowing that and knowing what Amelia used to do for the British Government, I would say that she isn't in Germany," Liz told her.

"Do you know where?"

"She wouldn't tell me."

"The less that know…"

"Trust me when I say I understand that espionage is part of politics, but this is above my knowledge base or pay grade. This seems to be more personal. There haven't been any demands sent to me or either governments yet."

JJ sat up. She grabbed her go back and pulled out a pair of combat boots. They were old and dusty, brown military issue. They would make her stand out but she didn't have time to change that. The last time that she'd worn them was in the field, in the woods on a mountain in a valley of mud. The time before that was in Afghanistan.

"I need a favor," she told Liz.

"Anything," Liz replied.

"I need to figure out how I am going to get out of here and to Amelia without raising any suspicions with Hotch. He already knows that you know something you aren't telling him. What is he going to do when he finds out that I am not still here?"

"I'll deal with Aaron. Don't worry about him. Take a shower. Change. I'll go talk to Aaron. I'll let him know that you are emotional tired. You needed to rest. I believe that a team from MI-5 and the SAS intelligence were coming over to continue combing through the chatter. He'll give them a narrowed down list."

"He'll be going after the wrong the people."

"He might, but they will still be terrorists. He won't realize that whoever took Emily did it using the terrorist cell as a cover. Amelia and you have both figured that out in a matter of minutes. He doesn't think you do. He doesn't think like Emily. He hasn't had to be in that position."

"No, he hasn't."

"JJ?"

"Yes, Ambassador?"

"Can you do this?" Elizabeth asked her.

She met the hardened coffee colored eyes. They reminded her so much of Emily's. She sighed. She didn't know if she could do it. The closet that she had become to a killer, to a spy, to a government mercenary was the case with Hastings. Emily had saved her then, but the rage and fury was still there.

Now, she was going to rescue Emily. This wasn't smuggling her out of the US and to Paris. This wasn't hiding her while staying in contact with her. This wasn't bringing her back from the dead and helping her find her way with the unit again. This was bringing her back from the clutches of some unknown enemy and hoping that she was still alive when they got there. This wasn't going to be a simple hostage negotiation. This was a search and rescue.

"It really isn't a matter of can I do this, Elizabeth. It is a matter of must. I can't think about whether or not I can do this. I have to do this. This isn't a want, Elizabeth. This is a must."

"That isn't what I asked you," Elizabeth replied.

"I know."

"You can't tell me, can you?"

"I will tell you this. I will do anything that I have to do. I will bring her home, Elizabeth."

"I know that, JJ. I can see it in your eyes. I am worried about you, though, JJ. This isn't what you trained for. This isn't a case."

"You don't think I know that. You don't think that I am scared shitless. I am. I am so beyond my comfort zone right now. I don't even know what to do except getting in the car and driving to Birmingham and to Amelia and figure out what we need to do."

"You know that Emily made accounts for you and Henry. She wanted to make sure that you were taken care of in case something happened to her. I am going to uphold her wishes, JJ."

"I know."

"Then, you know what that means for you and your son," Elizabeth added.

JJ just stared at her. She knew that Emily had always been looking out for her. She wasn't surprised to hear that she had put things in place to make sure that JJ and Henry would be taken care of should anything happen to Emily and Emily couldn't get there. JJ knew it, but she liked to pretend that it wasn't there. She wasn't prepared to acknowledge that Emily wouldn't be there for her if she needed her.

"I have some idea."

"Amelia has done the same for a woman named Diana and child named Charlie. I don't know if it means the same thing, but she asked me to care for them if they came here. JJ, who is going to get Henry if something happens to you?" Elizabeth asked her.

She looked at her and eyes went cold. She hadn't thought about that. Henry didn't have his father. Will had died in the line. JJ was going off to save Emily and she hadn't thought about what would happen if she didn't come home.

"Garcia and Reid will get joint custody," she whispered, thinking back to the night that Emily helped her get the paperwork in order after Will left her to go back to New Orleans.

"I'll take care of it all."

"Ambassador…"

"Look, if Emily thinks enough of you and your son to leave her money and estates to, I am not going to question it. She repartitioned it thought upon meeting Amelia. She'd give you the world if you'd let her, JJ and you both know it."

JJ just looked at her. She didn't know what to say. She didn't have the words to tell her what Emily meant to her, because on so many levels, she just understand it fully.

"Don't worry about it, JJ. I've seen the way she looks at you. I know what she's done to protect you and your FBI family. You taught her how to love and I am so grateful for that."

JJ sat down behind the desk, again. She opened the laptop that was there. She needed to distract herself. She couldn't think about Emily and be objective to the mission.

"Do yourselves both a favor when this is over," Elizabeth told her, pushing the keys across the desk at her and meeting her emotional cobalt blue eyes.

"What's that?"

"Tell each other and find a way to make it work."

JJ's mouth hung open, but no words would come. She couldn't believe that the ball busting, emotional lacking, hard ass Ambassador Prentiss had just given her the green light to date her daughter or something. Maybe Hell was freezing over, but JJ didn't…no couldn't care less.

"Now, JJ, go get our girl back. I'll deal with Aaron. I can make sure you have to until morning, but after that, I won't be able to delay him. Get out of here as soon as you can make a break for it. I'll send David up to fetch you. He can get you out the back and to the Bentley."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet, JJ. You still have to bring her home to me. I'll give you whatever I can, money, connections, back alley deals. You just bring my daughter back to me."

"I will, Ambassador. I will. Give me thirty minutes to shower and change. I'll be ready to go then. David can wait here in the room for me."

"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"True love is about sacrifice for the sake of the ones you love." Francis Chan

Amelia unlocked the door to the flat that she had just off the RA base. It wasn't too small and it was lavishly furnished. It was a little nice for someone of her supposed position, but no one ever questioned how she could afford it. Thankfully, Diana and Charlie didn't either. She was glad to see that they were there, too. It would make things easier for her.

She didn't want to leave but she knew that she would have to. There wasn't a choice in the matter. She had to rescues Emily and in rescuing Emily she would end her career. She had enough money squirrelled away that she could do it. She knew that MI-5 would keep track of her. That didn't bother her too much. They would only call her back if they really needed her. She understood that. She expected it.

She knew that as soon as Diana saw her things would get difficult. She didn't have time for difficulties. She needed to get them to safety and then get to Emily.

She sighed as she put her bag down on the couch in the lounge. It was going to be a long night, but as soon as she saw the blonde coming out of their shared bedroom, she knew the night was about to be longer. She sighed again and ran her hand through her hair.

Diana saw the movement and knew that it wasn't good. She'd only seen her like this before missions, but this was different. It was more serious. It meant a case or mission went south.

"What happened, love?" Diana asked her.

"I have to go."

"I've gathered that much, love. What happened? You were in Dumbarton this morning and tonight you are in front of me. What happened?"

"We've been compromised."

Diana sucked in a breath. The words she dreaded to hear every time that Amelia came home had finally been spoken and of course it was finally after they had begun to actually settle down. She knew that things would happen quickly and Amelia would be gone. The main concern she had was that she was going to go somewhere and she didn't know where Amelia was going. She knew that everything in her life was about to change.

"What are we going to do?" Diana asked her, not trying to hide her worry from her voice.

"You need to pack a bag for you and Charlie. You can go to Dumbarton. Blair will be waiting for you. I've made arrangements for you to go to London if you'd like. There will be some politics involved if you decide to go that way. You have some time to make a decision. I'll make a phone call before I leave," Amelia explained.

"How long do I have?"

"I don't really know. It all depends on someone else right now. I need to get some things together. I can't be disturbed. I'll talk to you before I go. I promise."

Diana watched her go. She went down the hall and watched her go into the key locked door on the left. She knew that as soon as she went into the room that Amelia was preparing to disappear. She had never been so scared about being with Amelia until that moment. She'd seen her go into that room before. She had seen how Amelia was when she came out of it.

She walked down the hall to Charlie's room. She stopped in the doorway and watched Charlie sleeping. She smiled at the sleeping blonde child. She stood there for a long time just thinking about what she was going to Charlie. How would she tell her in the morning that she didn't know when her Mum was coming home? She didn't want to add in the fact that she didn't know if her Mum was coming home at all.

She walked back down the hall to their shared bedroom. She grabbed a suitcase and began to fill it with clothes. She didn't know if they would be back or if someone would just come "sanitize" the place once they left. She knew that they wouldn't be able to take a lot with them. Just enough and only what she could get into the boot of the car. She sighed again.

Loving Amelia had been easy. It always was. She wore her emotions on her sleeve except when she was in mission mode. When there was a mission, there was no getting through to her until the mission was over. It was one of the reasons that Diana loved her so much. She loved the woman, not the warrior within. She knew the hardships that came with Amelia's position and she was frankly glad that the American Ambassador had stepped up a few years ago and made Amelia take the desk job.

They both hated politics, but they didn't have to worry about too much with Ambassador in their corner. She knew that there was more of a relation between Amelia and the Ambassador than either of them let on, but she knew better than to question it. She knew what she was getting into with when she got Amelia. However, she realized that Amelia didn't know what she was getting into when she tried to go up against Ambassador Prentiss. The Ambassador took Amelia in and cared for her in ways that her American grandparents never did.

She closed the suitcase and grabbed another. She made her way into Charlie's room and packed it. She grabbed an old duffle bag from the closet in Charlie's room and started filling it with toys. She knew the drill. Pack, leave, hide, Amelia would find them later. She took the bags and dropped them by the door. She knew that they would be leaving soon. She still needed to pick a destination. She could go stay with the Army or with the Ambassador. She sighed.

She still wasn't ready to make that decision. It was an important decision but she wasn't sure that she had enough information in order to make a decision that she was ready to live with. She knew that she was going to lose Amelia. She doubted that she would come back from this.

She went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She grabbed two beers. She opened one with a bottle opener. She grabbed them both and the opener. She crossed the room and sat down at the table there. She pushed the second bottle across the table and dropped the opener down. She took a long pull of her beer and then set it on the table. She stared out across it.

Her life was crashing down around her and she was powerless to stop it. She understood the move. She understood the pain and heartache that came from this job. She had retired from MI-5 just months after Amelia started.

She remembered their first case together. She had been in Amelia's shoes then. She was the feeder back in the office while Amelia was in the field, undercover, working every angle that Diana was giving her. It had been an easy relationship.

She didn't imagine falling in love with another agent. She never thought that she would have a slightly normal life. And, she never thought that it would be with Amelia. They were way too different. They had talked to each other for years. They'd kept each other sane through comments on blogs and internet games. With enough amenity, they talked to each other about the cases with their own code and got to know each other more deeply because of it.

Now, Diana sat at the table with a beer and realized that her worst fears were coming true. She was losing everything that she had fought for years before. Her little family with Amelia may have been unconventional but it was still hers. She loved them. She would do anything for Charlie. She would do anything for Amelia.

She sighed. She knew what had to happen. They had been compromised. They had to move and hide as quickly as possible. It was the only way they could survive this and hope to have a life together once the dust all settled.

"Have you thought about where you want to go?" Amelia asked her sitting down at the table and breaking her thoughts.

"I don't know what to think. I don't know what's happened, so I don't know where to go. You've given me two options and both of them are very restrictive. I need to know more."

"I can't tell you much, Diana. You know that. I need to know so I can make some calls."

"Aimee…talk to me. Tell me what happened and then I'll give you my answer. What happened? And, don't just tell me that we were compromised."

"Emily has been captured."

She sucked in a breath. Diana knew what that meant. She knew it was bad.

"Do you know who?"

"Not really," Amelia answered.

"You said that you didn't know when you were leaving because of someone else. Aimee, don't hide this from me. I understand who Emily is to you. I understand that you are hurting right now. I understand it all. Do you think I don't?"

"I know you do."

"Then talk to me. Tell me what you can. I can help you. You know that. What can you tell me? I don't need all the details. I need to know what you are going to do."

"She was taken while she was making a buy in a counter-terrorism case. Something went horribly wrong at the buy. It doesn't seem like she ever made it to the buy, but we don't know that she didn't. She has been missing a little more than twenty-four hours."

"What does that chatter say?" Diana asked.

"What I've seen tells me she is still alive and it is someone she knows. It has to be someone that she crossed in her past. Only thing that I can conclusively say is that it isn't anyone that was involved in JTF 12. I've already made sure that they were all accounted for. This is something bigger, darker and I don't know everything that I should," Amelia told her.

"Who are you waiting on?"

"Blackbird," she breathed out the word like it was secret whisper.

"She's coming?"

"Should already be in London," Amelia replied.

"Who is she?"

"Jennifer 'JJ' Jareau, media liaison and profiler for the FBI BAU division."

"She the one Emily went to save?"

"She is."

"She is her Diana."

"She is."

"Where is she now?"

"With any luck on her way here," Amelia told her.

"Where was she headed?"

"To London, to the Ambassador's. Clyde sent for Emily's old team. The Ambassador is giving them a place to stay. They are throwing a gala in their honor to cover up why they are really here. Emily is the Ambassador's daughter and they will do anything for her. Clyde and Mac won't me to lead the mission to bring her home," Amelia explained.

"But, you're here and not with them."

"They don't know the case. It would take too long to explain it to them. They also don't do the work that we've done. They hunt criminals. They don't infiltrate organizations. We are trained to do it all, investigations, espionage, infiltration, search and rescue. We are militaristic."

"I get that."

"JJ has done things like that, too."

"How do you know that?"

"I investigated her once I became Emily's feeder. I needed to know who she was and what she was to Emily. Due to her little excursion of the Interpol clock last year and being her feeder, I had to know everything about everyone in her life. I had to make sure that JJ wasn't someone that could compromise Emily if she was taken. I didn't find anything that would lead me to believe that JJ could be used against her. She is just a really good friend."

"But what about the excursion?" Diana asked her.

"It wasn't sanctioned. It never went on her record, but it changed her Diana. She started doing less field work and more leading. She kept her contact with JJ light though. There wasn't anything that between their correspondence that would lead me to believe otherwise."

"And, what about JJ?"

"She is good at her job. She is the darling and face of their group. They are good friends. She has a son named Henry LaMontange. His father, William 'Will' LaMontange, Junior was a police officer in New Orleans. It seems he died in the line. After his death, JJ cut off communication for a while. When it restarted, it was different. It was darker."

"Did Emily's change?"

"It seemed to be more protective."

"How so?" Diana asked.

"She made accounts for JJ and Henry. She put things into place to make sure that they would always be taken care and live comfortably. I doubt that JJ even knew about it, though."

"Why do you think that?" Diana questioned.

"She hasn't used any of it. I don't think Emily ever informed her that they were there. It is almost like she made them these accounts in case something happened to her."

"An insurance policy?"

"Probably."

"What are you going to do?" Diana inquired, finishing her beer.

"I am going to get her and bring her back to London," Amelia answered.

"I meant after. What are you going to do when she is home? You've both been compromised, I am assuming by how you are talking. What are you going to do?" Diana asked her, not really sure that she wanted the real answer, but hoping that it wouldn't be what she feared.

"I don't know."

"I see."

"Look, Diana, this isn't easy for me. I don't want to go into hiding until I can be sure that everyone is safe. Do you think that Emily wants to do that either? She did it while she hunted Ian and it almost cost her everything she loved. I don't want to lose you, but I can't keep you and Charlie safe if I come straight home. You know that. We've known that this might happen. We…I don't know what I am going to do. I can't really answer that for you right now. I need to get Emily out of wherever she is before I can give you an answer."

"You won't give me an answer then, either."

"Why not?"

"Because you are already sending me away," Diana replied.

"I am doing that for your safety. I am not doing it because I want to, Diana. I am trying to protect you."

"I know. But, when you leave, you are walking away from us. We won't know when you are coming back. We won't know where you've gone. Hell, we won't know if something happens to you. If you die, they won't tell me. They'll tell Elizabeth. She might tell me. She might not. I won't know anything else about you once you leave."

Amelia hung her head. She knew that Diana was right. She wouldn't be able to come back. She knew it. She knew that Amelia knew it. Elizabeth might be the only connection that they would still have after the smoke cleared and everyone was safe, but even then, she didn't know whether or not she could trust in that.

"I know."

"So, forgive me for not being happy that you are leaving me and your daughter, Amelia. I don't know how I can be. I understand why you are going. Don't think that I am trying to belittle it. I am not. But, I want you to look at me and tell me that this isn't going to destroy Charlie. Because we both know that it will."

"Diana…"

"No, don't. Just don't. I love you. I love her. I will take care of her. I will raise her. I will make sure that she knows that her mother was a hero. But, you have to promise me one thing."

"Anything," Amelia stated immediately.

"You find Emily and you bring her home. You both survive this. Move on, start a new identity, but never forget our family. When you finally get settled, you find a way to let me know that you are okay. You let me know that you are alive. You find a way. I don't care about protocol. I don't care about procedure. You find a way to tell me that you are alive."

"I will."

"And, if you can find a way to keep us safe, you find a way to bring us back together."

"I will," Amelia stated, letting the tears that she had been trying to fight go.

"Then, Godspeed, Amelia. Go find your mother and bring her home. I will keep the Ambassador up to date on our movements, so you can find us. That is my promise to you."

"I love you."

"I know."

"I'll find you."

"You'd better."

"Go to London."

"You want me to go to London and stay with the Ambassador?" Diana asked her through her own tears.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Pettigrew is there. He'll make sure that you are safe. I'll find you. I'll come home faster if I know that you are safe and protected. She has connections. He has connections. You'll be protected. The Ambassador can hide you better than the government, trust me on that."

"I'll go to London."

"Thank you," Amelia told her, just as there was a knock on the door.

"Do you want me to get that?" Diana questioned her, seeing the fear in her eyes.

"Just a minute," she replied going over to the bag on the couch.

She reached into the bag and grabbed her Glock 17. She slammed the clip home and pulled back the slide. A look of determination came over her. She put herself up against wall near the small foyer and nodded to Diana to check the door.

Diana walked towards it just as there was another knock. She sighed and counted to three before she checked the peephole. She saw a slight blond woman standing there, dressed in all black, but had a dress white shirt on top of the black tank top she was sporting. She took a step back and counted to three again. She slowly opened the door.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" Diana asked her.

"I am looking for Emma Swift," the blonde told her in her Pennsylvanian accent.

"Come in," Diana replied, moving out the way to let her in.

"Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness." Napoleon Hill


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." Victor Hugo.

JJ came out of the shower already dressed in the cargo pants and black tank that Amelia had left her. She saw the look that Pettigrew gave her but she really didn't care. She needed to figure out how to tell Hotch that she needed to be alone. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but she needed to hurry. She needed to be on the road to Birmingham soon.

"You are a quick thinker, aren't you?" he asked her.

"I like to think so," JJ replied.

"Have you figured out what you are going to tell Hotchner? He is a smart man. He will know that you are up to something. He isn't going to let you go willingly, alone," he stated.

"I know that. I have my ways though. I just need him to believe me long enough. If I get enough time, like until the morning, it will be fine. That is all I need."

"I am sure that Elizabeth will keep him busy enough," Pettigrew added.

"I am sure she will."

"There is a file that Amelia left for you to see. I am not sure what it means, but she said something about you would understand. It's the video file," he told her.

He handed JJ a thumb drive. She took it and looked at it. He left but he pointed at the laptop on the desk as he left. JJ just nodded as she went to the desk and sat down.

She booted the laptop and inserted the thumb drive. She opened the drive and found the file in question. It was the only file on the drive. It was simple titled "Chief's Language Test." She could only wonder what the title really meant.

She got up and got her boots and socks while she waited on the file to fully load. As she sat back down, she saw it was finally ready to play. She clicked the play button on the video. She bent over to put on her boots, hoping that all she had to do was listen to the video."

_"Welcome to Tranny-oke night here at the Escape. I am your host for the evening, Lady Charlotte of Randiton. I see some new faces here tonight and some old. Just remember to get your names into the hat with your selections and we'll get you going. Depending on your selection, there may be a shot in it for you!"_

JJ could hear the crowd cheer. She had to admit that she was intrigued with the fact that it seemed to be a strange karaoke bar. She glanced up at the screen and almost laughed deeply. She was surprised to see a drag queen on the stage. She quickly laced up her boots so could give the file more attention.

_"And, now welcome to the stage for the first time…this is really your name, love?"_

_A tall dark haired woman stepped forward with a mic in hand. She was dressed in form fitting white tank top and skin tight dark indigo jeans. Her hair, black as night, was pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes swept the stage and fell on the MC Lady Charlotte._

_"_Si_, that is my name."_

_"Alright, love, if you say so. Well give a warm welcome to Yenifer Garcia. You're not from around here, are you love?" _

_"No," the lady answered quickly._

JJ leaned forward and got closer to the screen. It couldn't be. She was darker, tanner, but JJ couldn't believe her eyes. The fierce looking woman on the stage was Emily. She'd bet her badge on it. She sat back and smiled. She could only remember Emily doing karaoke a few nights when the entire team went out and she was usually drunk off her ass.

She didn't look drunk. She looked completely sober. JJ tried to find a date stamp on the file or in the file. She couldn't find one. This confused her. Emily had tanned slightly while she had been hunting Doyle, but she wasn't that dark when she came home. She didn't how old the file was and she wasn't sure that it mattered, until she saw her move slightly.

She saw the tank move and she saw the scar on her torso. She also saw her pull it down quickly when she realized that it had ridden up. Her normal confidence was a little lacking. The scars and her movements led JJ to believe that this was after her wedding to Will.

_"Where you from then, love?"_

_"Espana."_

_"Spain?"_

_"Si."_

_"Well, let's give Yenifer a warm London welcome."_

_The crowd cheered. Emily took center stage and prepared to sing her song. The music cued up and she lifted the mic. She was just about to begin when the MC shook her head at the DJ._

_"No, Duckie, the other version," she called out._

_The music stopped. There was a slight laugh from the crowd. The music started again, but it was the same song. _

_Emily swayed a little with the music. She lifted the mic again and waited. She closed her eyes and started to sing, not bothering to look at the screen that was giving her the words._

JJ shot up when her voice started singing. She didn't really listen to the words. She just watched Emily for a moment. Finally her ears slightly recognized the tune. She couldn't place it. So, she started listening to the words.

_"Por ti yo he roto las reglas del amor  
Jamas pense perder el corazon  
Y me atrapa este locura  
Que me enciende, que me nubla  
Nada puedo hacer para escapar de ti_

_Nunca imagine poder amarte ase  
Tienes ortro amor y otro amor me tiene a me  
Y nunca yo sone quererte tant ase  
Que culpa tengo yo  
Si descubre el amor solo por ti  
Amor que nunca muere...mi amor no muere  
Contigo para siempre... es para siempre  
Hoy se vivir solo por ti__**[1]**__"_

JJ sat up straighter. She opened an internet browser. She stared at the screen. She quickly typed hoping that the little bit of Spanish that she understood. She was surprised when the lyrics popped up as the first hit.

"Gloria Estefan, really? What else don't I know about you, Emily? What are you trying to tell me with this?" JJ asked the screen.

_"Well, that was amazing and I understood none of it. Thank you for sharing that. Alright, who's next?" the MC asked walking to the edge of the stage._

_The scene faded from the club to a non-descript office. She then saw Amelia sitting at a desk. She seemed to be reviewing something on her desk or laptop. It was obvious that she was being filmed by a webcam of some sort._

_"After much review, it has been determined that Agent Emily Prentiss is ready for field work. She is fluent in Italian, Spanish, Arabic, French, Russian and Greek. I believe that she should be entered into German classes for field work. She would be most efficient in operations in Europe based on her background, coloring, and language skills."_

_Amelia looked up into the camera and sighed. She looked like she was trying to figure out how to word the next words that she was going to say. She sighed as she moved some papers around and then some typing could be heard._

_"However, there are four people who could cause her to be compromised. More research should be done on two of them to see what their relationship really incurred. The two of record are her family. Her father hasn't been found and it is doubtful that she would have a relationship with him after the incident in Rome in 1985._

_"The only son of Jean Pierre Ste. Laurent of Provence wine regions of Western France. Emily has been name sole heir to the Ste. Laurent vineyards there. John Peter Lawrence, her father, surprised everyone when he took the Prentiss name in the marriage to Elizabeth. Emily stayed at the Chateau d' Laurent in Peillon, near the river. This was near the end of 1985 and the last time that John Peter was seen in France. _

_"After a yearlong stay in Peillon, Emily met her mother in Moscow before returning to the States to complete high school. She lived with her grandparents, Daniel and Melanie Prentiss. Jean Pierre always invited her for the summers, which she would vacation there between school sessions. It seems that he taught her a lot during his hermit stages, nearing ninety, when he bought a small chateau and vineyard he renamed Chateau Amelia near Lac Leman in the French Alps. She seems to have thoroughly enjoyed these summers._

_"Matthew Benton came to France to stay with Emily one summer. He is no longer a viable threat to her being compromised. He died from a car crash in Rome in 1995."_

JJ stopped the video. She stared at Amelia on the screen. She couldn't understand why Amelia was digging that deep into Emily's past. It didn't make any sense that she would be doing that. Emily was supposed to be just the London based unit chief. Why would they be looking in her past for some deep undercover case? There was no reason for it.

She sat back in the chair and stared at the screen. She ran her hand over her face. She leaned forward again and hit the space bar on the laptop and restarted the video. She leaned back as it started up again.

_"After an extensive search, we have found out that there are only four possible people that would cause the compromise of Agent Prentiss. The first and foremost should be the most obvious but she isn't. The four people that I have found are: Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss, her mother; Aimee St. Laurent Prentiss, her unknown daughter; Jennifer Jareau, a member of her former BAU team at the FBI; and Jennifer's young son, Henry LaMontange._

_"It is with this recommendation that she stays out the United States for any mission. The Ambassador is our biggest concern. I doubt however that based on Emily's limited contact and lack of emotional connection that she will not be the viable way to break her. It has also come to our attention that the Ambassador and the adoptive father of Aimee are the only ones that know her true identity. She is not a reasonable person to be used against her. This leaves her former teammate and her teammate's son as the only true possible candidates."_

JJ stopped the video. She stared at the video for several minutes not believing what she was hearing. Amelia had already dismissed herself and Elizabeth as bargaining chip to be used against Emily. And, her final thoughts were of JJ and Henry. JJ wasn't sure how she felt about that. She hit play again.

_"Upon further review and background checks, we have found out that the father of Miss Jareau's son died in the line of fire in Washington. D.C. While Emily wasn't present for the funeral, she seemed to take the loss hard. It was in the wake of this incident and the strange case she took in 2013 that was not sanctioned at first, that things started pointing to a possibility that Agent Prentiss could even be compromised in the field should the wrong information be found. I have taken the liberty to hide what I have found further into the reaches of the internet that it would take at really good hacker to even know where to look to find it._

_"This was done as a precautionary measure only. It will not affect the validity of the documentation found. All the accounts and legal paper work will still be available to the necessary authorities should a need arise for them. Until then, they will be hidden from prying eyes and other precautions have been set forth to make sure it stays this way._

_"As for the documentation, copies have been made for the task force should it needed to be enforced. In my digging for these papers, I have come to the conclusion that Miss Jareau is not aware of them. Her signature has not been affixed to any of the documentation. It is on P.O.D. that she is to be notified and paid all monies from the estate."_

JJ stopped the video. She jumped up and run out of the mom. She didn't care how she was dressed. She knew that Hotch wouldn't question it too much. She was down the stairs and into the war room as fast as her legs would carry her.

Hotch looked up at her. They all stopped. She was out of breath and had anger dancing in her eyes. She met Elizabeth's and the silent conversation that they had, spoke volumes to those watching them. Hotch saw this and decided that he needed to know what had JJ so upset.

"What is it, Jayje?" he asked.

"Did you know?" she asked Elizabeth, ignoring Hotch's question.

This made the rest of the team stop their investigation. Reid and Rossi stopped and watch the events unfolding before them with utter fascination. Morgan und Garcia were even surprised at the anger in JJ's voice. Hotch cocked his head and was about to say something to try and bring them back to the task at hand when Elizabeth spoke up.

"Yes," she told JJ simply.

JJ's heart stopped. She knew and she didn't say anything. How could she not tell JJ earlier?

"How long?"

"Since February of 2013," Elizabeth answered.

"Why?"

"You know why," Elizabeth told her.

"She can't do this."

"She already has."

"I never agreed to any of it," JJ stated.

"You didn't have to," Elizabeth said.

JJ heard Reid gasp. He remembered what was important about February of 20l3. She turned to him and met his eyes. She slightly shook her "no," Reid just nodded, understanding that JJ would explain it to him later. He turned back to the "chatter" and started dissecting the codes again.

"You didn't think to tell me?" JJ inquired.

"I was asked not to," Elizabeth told her.

"By who?"

"Emily."

JJ sucked in a breath. Her anger rose. Elizabeth stepped around to where JJ was standing. She didn't want to air this in open for the rest of them learn to hear. And, somewhere inside JJ's mind, she knew that JJ didn't want that either.

"She...but why?"

"You know why, JJ," she repeated.

"But, she can't. She's never told me. Why wouldn't she have told me?" JJ asked at a whisper.

"Because that's who she is," Elizabeth replied.

"I'm sorry."

"I am not," Elizabeth slated.

"Hotch. I am sorry. I can't do this right now. I am going to bed.

"Okay, JJ, I understand. Get some sleep. I'll see you at eight. We'll talk about this then," he told her.

She just nodded us she headed buck lo the room upstairs. Hotch wasn't surprised to see Elizabeth follow her. He knew that the Ambassador would more than likely ask JJ to help her with the damage control about whatever they had been discussing. He could tell that it was of a personal nature and he was sure that was what upset JJ the most. What surprised him was Pettigrew took his leave, telling Mac that he has some security issues to look into. If he had been paying better attention, he would have realized that Pettigrew went to the garage and not the security office.

JJ was pacing in the bedroom when both Elizabeth and Pettigrew entered. There was a look of fire in her eyes and Elizabeth knew that it was directed at her. She sat on the edge of the bed. Pettigrew went to the desk and sat down, looking at the laptop.

"You knew and you didn't tell me. How am I supposed to trust you? How am I supposed to trust Amelia after watching that? Tell me how!" JJ demanded.

"She was reaching out to you," Pettigrew stated.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" JJ asked him.

"She knew that you had no reason to trust her. She gave you this as an olive branch. She is trying to tell you that she trusts you because Emily does. She is trying to make you understand that it is personal for both of you," Elizabeth told her.

"I know that she is her daughter. Isn't that enough? Why all of this?"

"Because she is scared of you," Pettigrew stated.

"Why?"

"Watch the rest of the video, JJ," Elizabeth urged.

Pettigrew stood up. He walked towards the door. He opened it, turned, and then said, "I'll be downstairs with the Bentley, waiting. Take your time, but not too much. Emily needs us all right now, JJ. Process this and then go to Amelia."

JJ sighed. She crossed the room back to the desk. She sat down and looked over at Elizabeth expectantly. When she didn't say anything more, JJ played the video.

_"One account which accounts for a third of her assets is set to go to Jennifer Jareau. The other two thirds are to go to Henry LaMontagne upon his twenty-first year and will be in a trust with Jennifer named as its executor. The remaining third will go to the long lost daughter that she named in the Parisian hospital, Aimee St. Laurent Prentiss. _

_"It is the daughter who the command is most worried about. It seems that Emily lost contact with her protectors sometime in Rome. She believes that her daughter was taken to the States to live, but no conclusive evidence has been found. No record of an Aimee Prentiss exists past the French birth certificate from 1985. I am still looking into that for her and other reasons."_

The video sped up. She could tell that Amelia has changed clothes. There was a look in her eyes, much like Emily's when she had news that she didn't want to divulge to…anyone.

_"After much digging, it was found that Aimee Prentiss is still alive. She is very much alive and works for the British Government. Upon digging into her questionable past, Ambassador Prentiss made a request to see me personally. I guess I didn't hide my search as well as I thought. I went to see the Ambassador willingly. _

_"She is an impressive woman, but I can tell that the years in politics have taken its toll on her heart. She is reputed to be a strong willed woman, much like Emily, but I saw another side of her. I saw the loving mother that has been restrained for too long._

_"She misses Emily. She misses having a relationship with her like she should have as her mother. She wishes that she could mend things and she hopes that Emily's time in London working with Interpol can help her with this._

_"She informed me that former Agent David Pettigrew had recently come into her employ. He put feelers out there for the Ambassador in order to protect Emily as best she could and to find the missing daughter, her granddaughter Aimee. It seems that my searching pinged his searches and they decided that it would be good to bring me up to speed._

_"I am not sure if that is the right way to phrase it. With help from the Ambassador, Aimee was found. I am surprised to say that I am technically Aimee Elizabeth St. Laurent Prentiss. The name of Amelia Elizabeth Benton was given to me by the man who raised me and a former friend of Emily's. My path it seems was destiny. _

_"Benton was the son of the head of security for Ambassador Prentiss while she was stationed in Rome. He took the child per Emily's request after they fled to Paris together. He erased the birth and had a new birth certificate made in Rome. Upon Emily's return to Rome from a supposed vacation in France with her Grandfather Jean Pierre Ste. Laurent. He helped Emily and Matthew Benton, my father, hide the pregnancy. _

_"I do know that Matthew isn't my biological father, but he is listed on my birth certificate. It seems that he cared for Emily. He was very good about telling me about her. He made sure that I knew my mother loved me. I was just told that she died when I was young. She was also very young when she had me. Matthew was older and could handle having a child on his own without raising any suspension."_

"You knew?" JJ asked as she stopped the video again.

"That Amelia was Emily's daughter?"

"Yes," JJ stated.

"Not at first. Emily was extremely good at hiding the fact that she had even been pregnant. She used her connections with her grandfather to hide it. She wanted to go to France and I let her. I didn't know why until he died."

"How? Why then? What happened after he died?" JJ asked.

"He left the winery and all the French estates to both Emily and Aimee. That is when I started my search. I had Pettigrew then. I had more resources."

"But, you never told Emily about her?" JJ asked.

"I didn't seem like my place. But, in my respect, I was not going to let Aimee go. I made sure to keep tabs on her. When I thought that things were a little dangerous, I got her brought home. I tipped my hand. Pettigrew made sure that she found out that I knew."

"You brought her out of the field?"

"I did."

"Did she know why?"

"Eventually, yes, she wasn't happy about it, but we came to terms with it," she answered.

"And, yet, you still didn't tell Emily?" JJ questioned.

"I left it up to Amelia to tell her. It was her secret to tell, not mine. I am not even sure if Emily knew what happened to her. I did what I could for both of them. I kept their secrets; it just happened that they were both harboring the same secret."

"You never knew if she told her?"

"I doubt that she did. I know that she didn't, actually. But, I know that she wasn't planning on coming back after this. She would bring Emily back and then she would vanish. This is Amelia's last operation. She will not be staying once she is back."

"She is just like Emily in that respect."

"They are both my prodigal daughters," Elizabeth told her.

"Family is like music, some high notes, some low notes, but always a beautiful song." Unknown

* * *

[1] Words from the Spanish version of Gloria Estfan's "Heaven's What I Feel (Corazon Prohibido)"

**A/N: This is the first chapter that I found quotes for and I don't know if I am going to continue to do it. If you liked it, let me know. I hope to continue to update this regularly, but I am not sure how fast I will get them posted. The pace is going to be slow in the next few chapters and then it will ramp up speed. I hope you enjoy it and stay with me. This is going to be one hell of a ride.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Tell your friend a lie. If he keeps it, tell him the truth." Portuguese Proverb

JJ just stared at her. She didn't know what else to do. She knew that the Ambassador was cold and calculating, even unfeeling at times, but this…this was on a whole new level for her.

"You knew that daughter had a daughter. You found her, protected her and let them work together. But, in all of that, you never found the time to tell Emily that her own daughter was her feeder. You never once slipped and said anything to her."

"No."

"How?"

"I am a diplomat, JJ. Keeping secrets, telling lies and getting information are what I do. Your job isn't that different from mine. I just do it on a much bigger and more prolific scale."

"I cannot believe that you never told her."

"Can you believe that she never told me about Amelia?" Elizabeth asked her.

"By the way you are acting, yes. I don't know what the hell happened between you when she was growing up, but damn it woman, you are the reason that she has the crazy need to protect everyone. She won't let anyone in. She won't tell anyone the truth about what is really bothering because she doesn't know how. She never learned to deal with her emotions because she was too busy being a diplomat's daughter, a piece of eye candy that made you good, and the sad thing is that you went along with it. You trained her to be a spy without knowing it."

"And, who trained you?" Elizabeth questioned.

"What?"

"Don't play coy with me, JJ. I know what you did in Afghanistan. Amelia was there with you. You might have even met for all I know. But, you were there and it wasn't on some FBI diplomatic mission. Or, have you forgotten February 2013, because I know that I haven't."

"What do you know about that?"

"I know enough."

"I never asked her for that."

"You didn't have to, JJ. You never did. As soon as Aaron told her that you were missing, she started an international investigation. She made it top priority in Interpol. She gave them some story about hooking up with the BAU once she was in the States. She would feed them back information to find you. She used every resource that she had at her disposal. Hell, even Amelia was looking for you with her damn computers. But, not once did they betray themselves to me."

"What do you want me to do with this, Elizabeth?" JJ asked her.

"I want you to bring them home. I want to protect my family. You and Amelia are the best thing that I can use to do that. I just want them home. Can you help me do that?" Elizabeth asked.

"That is what I plan on doing."

"Then do that. Finish the video. There is more for you to see."

"You've seen it?"

"No, Amelia alerted me to what she found. She's been very forward with me about the whole situation. She's never been one to hide from the truth. She's been good about trying to maintain contact with me," Elizabeth told her.

"But, yet you still haven't told Emily about this?" JJ asked.

"No, Amelia plans to tell her when they actually meet."

"They haven't met?" JJ questioned her.

"No, they haven't had a reason to. Their jobs aren't exactly in the same building. Amelia has her office, but it is not in London. She can do her job anywhere. She doesn't report Emily. She doesn't really report to anyone. She does her job and gives Emily whatever she needs. There has been no need for them to meet."

"They've never tele-conferenced?" JJ asked.

"Amelia always found a way out of it once she realized that Emily was her mother."

"I can't believe that."

"They are both stubborn. You know that. You know how they can be."

"I do."

"Watch the video. Then go to Amelia. She'll get you where you need to be. She'll tell you what you need to know so you can help her get to Emily and get home," Elizabeth told her.

JJ just watched her leave. She realized that she wasn't going to get anything else from Elizabeth. She needed to finish this video and get on the road. She sat down back at the desk and hit play.

_"I've reviewed the paperwork that Emily filed before she went into the field. The paperwork names Jennifer and Henry as her primary heirs. I would be the other heir. _

_"I don't know what to do with this information. I cannot let her know that I know who I am. She doesn't know and for now it is imperative that she doesn't find out. She needs to focus on the operation and not me._

_"It seems that she has turned to music in order to express herself in ways that she can't with her own words. I have heard her talk to other agents often slipping in another language. She had thought about things in so many languages for so long that I believe she thinks that English can no longer do her the justice of expression. Her choice in karaoke for her language test was proof in point. Instead of singing the English version, she sang the Spanish. _

_"It makes me wonder why? Why had she chosen to forego her own language for another? Is it because she thinks on so many levels and in so many languages that she simply has forgotten how the words sound in English? Or could it be because she knows that not everyone knows what she is saying? _

_"She keeps to herself and doesn't express a personal life. If anyone on the team or teams that she is on and in charge of brings it up, she blushes and turns to Italian for the most part. Spanish and French are spoken by most of the team. There are a few who speak Russian and Arabic, but it is only occasionally that she breaks down into Arabic. Even she admits that her Russian is broken at best. She understands it without speaking it back. However it is odd that she speaks Greek as well. She seems to be fascinated with languages. Maybe we should teach her more. She could be very helpful in deciphering chatter as it comes over…_

_The tape sped up and stopped. There was another small section of Emily singing in a bar or club. There was no audio. When she section was over, Amelia was back._

_"It seems that she is lusting or pining after someone she can't have. We don't know if it will affect her in the field, but it doesn't show in her work only her free time. It seems that the loss of this person has devastated her, but her psyche evaluations are flawless. It makes me wonder who she wants and why she left them. Did she leave them for the job?_

_"I think that she has had so much disappointment in her life that she feels like she has failed everyone. This is her chance to make it right. She worries over a daughter she doesn't know. She cares for a friend and her son half a world away, but Emily doesn't seem to worry about herself. Everything that she is doing is for someone else, as it seems it has been since her youth. _

_"I need to tell her the truth. I need to let her know that she is my mother, but how? How do I tell her that I have followed almost exactly in her footsteps? I can only hope that Diana and Charlie can forgive me for my emotional walls. I see know that I come by the naturally._

_"I've looked into everyone in her past. I can't find the person that she misses. She has told me in some small measure that the only person besides Grams and myself that should know if anything happens to her is someone she's code named 'Blackbird.' I've dug and dug but I cannot successfully link this persona to anyone. All Emily has told me is that they are the most important person in her life. They taught her how to be emotional, how to tear down the walls that Grams spent so long making her build, and how to love and be loved. _

_"I wish I could find this person. I owe them for giving me back my mother. I see know why Emily didn't keep me. She couldn't. She was still a child and still trying to be the perfect Ambassador's daughter. I think that I am better for not having been raised in that environment. I had a loving home, but seeing the pain and distance in her eyes sometimes…it is enough to slay a giant. She has held in her feelings for so long that she has forgotten how to feel anything but pain. But then again, that isn't true. Blackbird taught her how to love on another level. I think that Emily loves Blackbird more than she could ever say, but never told them due to the fear of rejection or worse. I just don't know. I hope that whoever Blackbird is that they know how much she loves them. _

_"End of testimony, Amelia Elizabeth Benton, Agent of MI-5, Officer of Interpol, Captain 23 SAS, Her Majesty's Royal Army, Birmingham, 30 July 2012."_

JJ closed the laptop. Amelia had guessed that Emily loved Blackbird. She was Blackbird. JJ shook her head. What did all mean? Did she love Emily? Did Emily love her?

She looked the date. The file was made or finished shortly after her wedding to Will, shortly after Will had completely moved to Washington, shortly after Emily left her. Too many things were swirling in her head. She needed to go and she needed to go now.

She grabbed the bag that Amelia left, suiting up and started to head out the door. That was until she heard Reid and Rossi on the stairs talking. She paused at the open door and waited for them to make it to their rooms. She couldn't leave in front of any of them.

"Do you think that Emily would have told us about her daughter?" Reid asked.

"It all depends on what Emily actually knows about her."

"What do you mean, Rossi?"

"It seems that Emily gave her up, young, and to a friend's family. Emily told me once that she had an abortion. It may have been her way of dealing with it. I doubt that she told her mother the truth for many years. I have no doubt that Amelia is just as stubborn and head-strong as Emily is. She bears her mother's name and her features."

"I wonder about her intellect," Reid mussed.

"Why, Pretty Boy? Afraid that she is smarter than you?" Morgan asked joining them in the hall. "No one is as smart as you, Reid. Besides, if she is anything like Emily, you two will get along perfectly. The girl is only thirty. You may have a shot with her if you try."

"Stop teasing, Morgan. He can't help that Emily was the only one that he could talk to in his own language and that she understood him. Besides, I don't know what Amelia would do with him. If she is anything like Prentiss in real life, she'd break him," Rossi teased.

"You know, I think you're right, Dave," Morgan replied.

"Well, I think I am going to bed. Good night, guys. See you in the morning. Unless they find something, you know."

"Good night, Reid," Rossi and Morgan both replied.

She listened for a minute more before looking out into the hallway. She saw the Reid was gone and that Morgan and Rossi were heading to the other end of the hallway to their rooms. She reached over and grabbed the phone. She dialed down into Elizabeth's room.

"Yes, JJ?" she asked answering the phone.

"Has everyone gone to bed?"

"No, Mac, Hotch and Garcia are still down there going over some intel and chatter."

"How do I get off this hall without anyone seeing me?"

"I'll send Pettigrew," she replied and rung off.

A few minutes later, a door in the wall opened. Pettigrew stepped out. He motioned for JJ to follow him back through the panel in the wall.

"This way. I'll get you out of the house. The car is all ready for you."

"Thank you."

When they came out the back of the house, JJ was amazed to the Bentley there waiting on her. She had only ever dreamed of driving a car this nice, but now, she was going to take it across Britain to Birmingham and find Amelia. She shook her head as she got it and started it.

"Godspeed, JJ. By the way, when you get to Birmingham, don't look for Amelia Benton. She won't be there. Look for Emma Swift," Pettigrew told her.

She nodded at him and hit the GPS as she started around the back of house and to the gate. The Marines saluted her, thinking that she was the Ambassador. She did nothing as she left the house and turned to find her way to the M6 highway.

She knew that the two hour trip was going to be taxing on her already tired body, but she couldn't let it get to her. She needed to be alert and awake. She turned the radio on and found a satellite station to listen to for the drive. She knew that the music would sooth her and keep her calm until she got to Birmingham.

The trip was quicker than she expected. The directions via the GPS had been easy to follow. She pulled up to the small apartment complex that was about a mile or two from the Royal Army post in Birmingham. She wasn't sure what to do, but she parked. The GPS then told her to find apartment 1009. She looked up and saw the building.

She grabbed her bag and got out of the car. She shut the door and locked it. She only just started to wonder what people would think of the car in that parking lot. She didn't have to worry about it. It wasn't her problem. Elizabeth had assured her of that. She only had to get there. The car was no longer her problem. Emily was.

She mounted the stairs two at time. She stopped in front of the door and knocked. She waited a awhile and then knocked again.

She was surprised when the door opened up and she saw a tallish blonde answering the door. The woman looked her up and down, trying to decide if JJ belonged there. JJ cocked her eyebrow at her.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" she asked JJ.

"I am looking for Emma Swift."

"Come in," the other blonde told her moving out the way.

JJ walked further into the apartment and was surprised to see Amelia hiding behind a wall, pistol drawn and waiting. She nodded at the tall brunette. Amelia lowered her pistol and pointed to a table on the opposite side of where she was. JJ understood the silent direction and went to it.

"You made good time, I assume."

"Yes, though I am not sure what to do with this," JJ told her dropping the key fob on the table.

"Grams gave you the Bentley?" she asked amused.

"It wasn't like I had a vehicle of my own to get here," JJ quipped.

"Good, that's good," Amelia stated picking up the key ring.

She got up from the table and walked over to Diana, handing her the key ring. She kissed her on the temple and spoke with her softly. There was something about the way they moved together that reminded JJ of the friendship that she had with Emily.

"Given her the car?"

"Diana is going to take it in the morning. She will be going to stay with the Ambassador while we are gone. It will be safest place for her. No one would dare look for her there," she answered.

"No one else knows?"

"No, I've not told a soul since I found out."

"And, does Diana know?" JJ asked.

"Yes, but that is only because she is important enough to me to know."

"And, Emily isn't?"

"Let's not start this way, Blackbird."

JJ started from the comment. She knew that Amelia knew that she was Blackbird that she was putting things together that JJ herself hadn't. Amelia watched her and realized that JJ hadn't known that Emily loved her. They were both sizing each other up and wondering what working together was really going to do them.

"We have a common goal."

"To bring Emily home," JJ stated.

"Home is a relative term these days."

"What do you mean by that?"

"This flat will no longer be mine in the coming days. Everything in it will be packed and shipped to a new locale. I've been compromised as had Emily. I have no home as soon as we leave. Diana and Charlie will be going to Grams. They will be safe there and I know that Grams will protect them, even if she has to send them to the States."

"You're sure about that?" JJ asked her.

"If anyone comes looking for me, they won't find me. Amelia Benton only exists on paper now. All of my flats, wherever they are, are all under alias. Sometimes I don't even know the alias until I get there. It is better that way for my line of work. You don't have that problem within the FBI too much, I presume. Diana and Charlie will be traveling under the Swift name. They won't be found. I've made sure of it," Amelia replied.

"Swift, eh? Does your grandmother know? That they are coming?"

"Yes, I told her to be on the lookout for a woman named Diana with a daughter named Charlie."

"Who is she to you?" JJ asked.

"Diana or Charlie?" Amelia questioned.

"Both," JJ replied.

"Diana is my wife, now legally and Charlie is my daughter. They are my world. They are what I protect and I am eternally grateful that Diana is a former officer of MI-5 or I would have nothing. She understands me and my job. She understands my secrecy. And, she loves my daughter as her own."

"How old is your daughter?" JJ asked.

"Three," Amelia replied, "But, enough with the pleasantries. We have business to attend to. Are you ready?"

"Where are we going?"

"Jordan."

"Jordan?"

"Yes, it seems that the terrorist cell that she was after wasn't who took her."

"Who did?"

"I am still working on that."

"Then how do you know about Jordan?' JJ asked her.

"Emily called me and told me she wasn't in Germany. It took a while, but we found her location based on the satellite phone she used. I had an officer ping it until it told us where she was."

"Jordan?"

"Yes, we fly out in a few hours. I'd suggest your sleep, but I doubt you will. Here is everything I know. You need to know the players in the game before we get there. Can you do this?"

"I'll be fine," JJ told her taking the file.

"She still loves you, you know?"

"What?"

"She still loves you, Blackbird."

"All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight." Robin Sloan


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Three things cannot be hidden long: the sun, the moon, and the truth." The Buddha

Emily shook her head. She was trying to gain some semblance of consciousness. Her head hurt, but she shook it off. She looked around her small wooden room.

She wondered what time it was. The lighting still gave nothing away. She moved her fingers around trying to grasp her wrists. She figured that even with the handcuffs that she'd still be able to find her watch. She felt the cool metal of the cuffs, but no watch. She inwardly cursed. She knew that it would do no good for her to get highly agitated.

She cracked her neck and tried to steady her breathing. She sighed. She focused on taking deep breaths. Her side hurt and she guessed that her earlier fun had caused her to get kicked in the ribs. They weren't broken yet, just bruised, but she didn't know how long that would remain. She took deep breaths while she could and relaxed as much as she could.

She tried to keep her thoughts on her situation, but her mind kept straying back to Amelia and JJ. She didn't need to be worried about them, but she couldn't help herself. She knew that Amelia was looking for her. She knew that they would come. All she could do was hope to hang on long enough for them.

It wasn't that she thought she couldn't. She knew she could. She just didn't know how long they were going to torture her before they just killed her. She could take the torture. She'd been trained for it. Her years as a profiler with the BAU also helped her learn to read people a little better. She could push when she needed to; she'd take more torture if it kept her alive longer. They only thing that worried her about that now was she wasn't sure how much her body could take before it would override her mind and she'd give in. So far it had just been what she'd caused so she could make that phone call. Now, she'd have to wait and see what they really had in store for her. And, at the moment, her patience was wearing thin.

She could only hope that she hadn't been there longer than a day. If she had, the chances of them finding her trail were getting smaller. She'd hoped that the call would aid Amelia, but she wasn't sure that she was on the line long enough to ping it. She just knew that Lilly wouldn't have thought to do it. It was more than likely that she hadn't been reported missing when she called.

She sighed. Her thoughts strayed to Amelia. The girl was good, but she still hadn't been able to get her hands on Amelia's files. It was like she was ghost. She knew that she was being protected by Interpol, and both the British and American governments. It didn't make sense but it did at the same time. She couldn't help but believe than there was something hauntingly familiar about her. Sure, she trusted her with her file, but there was something more. There was a kinship there that Emily still had yet to figure out, but she was determined to figure it out. She would make sure to spend time with the younger agent once they got back to London. She would make a point to get to know her better.

Her thoughts were cut off when the door opened. She saw the man from earlier. The one she assumed was in charge. She eyed him for a second before she tried to glance out the doorway. He didn't block her view, but she could tell much. All she could see was him and some sort of mud or stucco walls just beyond the doorway. It wasn't enough. He watched her studying though and smirked.

"You want to leave? That's good. I don't want to keep you longer than I have to, Emily. Have you thought about our previous conversation?" he asked, pausing before he continued. "No? I see. You still don't who I am or why I am here, do you?"

"No, I don't. So, why don't you be a dear and tell me? Because honestly, I have better things that I could be doing with my time. By the way, what time is it?" she asked, refusing to give in to him.

He laughed at her. He was happy to see that she was still going to fight. He hated it when his prisoners gave up. It took all the fun out of his day. He smiled knowing that he was going to enjoy torturing her. She could tell by his smile that she was not going to like the rest of her day.

"Well, I am glad that you have still retained some of your spunk from our childhood."

Emily couldn't help but look at the mam. She still couldn't place him, but then again she was still a little foggy from her earlier beatings. All she could do was smile. She wasn't going to give him something to use against her. She couldn't afford it. She could only hope that he would betray himself. He didn't seem to be in a hurry. He actually seemed highly relaxed. Emily watched him and waited. She knew that if she could get him off balance just a little bit she had a better chance, but everything that he was doing made her think that he was a psychopath. He didn't feel anything. He wasn't going to be easy to unhinge, but she needed to try. Her life depended on it.

"You still don't know, do you?"

"Who you are?"

"Yes," he replied.

"I don't think that it really matters."

"You don't?" he asked.

"No, I don't."

"You're trying to test me," he stated.

"No, I am simply stating that I don't care who you are. Obviously, it wasn't enough for me to remember you from whenever we met before. I can't help that I haven't remembered who you are. You must not be that memorable for me. Sorry, but I am not sorry about that," she told him with a smile.

"You honestly don't remember me?" he asked a little surprised at her flippant statements.

"No, I don't. Should I? Who are you? Or, rather who did I know you as?" she questioned him.

"My name is Ibrahim El-Anwar," he told her.

She cocked her head. She was trying to remember if she'd ever heard that name. She still couldn't place it. But, she had to admit to herself that he was familiar. She kept staring at him, but there was just nothing. She just couldn't remember. She didn't know anyone by that name.

"You still don't remember me?"

"No, I don't," she replied as she tried to straighten herself up against the post.

He laughed again. He could see her obvious discomfort. He knew that she didn't like surprises. He also knew that she didn't like not knowing information, especially if it could help her.

"Life has been unfair to you, Emily," he stated.

"How do you suppose that?" she questioned him.

"You don't remember your first love. I find that hard to believe, but I also know what you've been through. I also know what you want more than anything," he told her.

She disregarded his first statement. She didn't care if he thought she loved him once upon a time. He was obviously delusional. No, she was more worried about what he thought she wanted. This could be a breaking point for them both. She sat up a little more and squared her shoulders. She tried to fix him with an icy glare, but she just couldn't manage her normal anger in her position.

"So, Ibrahim, what is it that I want?" she finally asked.

He chuckled as he came closer to her. He knelt down in front of her. Reaching out to her, he brushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She tried to pull away from his touch, but she really had nowhere to go. She backed her head up and hit it against the post.

"You want to know where I found our daughter," he told her.

Her eyes went black. She had to steady her breathing. She couldn't betray herself.

"I don't have any children. Sorry to disappoint you. I've never even had a real serious relationship. So, I don't know where you got your information, but it is really faulty."

"You think that I haven't been following you?"

"I don't know who you are, so how would I know that you've been following me?"

"Matthew was a good choice to hide her. He wouldn't betray your confidence. But, having her in Rome? I would have thought you would have come back to Egypt to have our daughter. Cairo has such a wonderful hospital. I would have given you everything Emily. I would have made you a queen. But, you threw it all away," he told her.

"Let me tell you something that you obviously don't know, Ibrahim," she started.

"And, what's that?" he asked.

"I did a lot of things that I am not proud of from my childhood. I was rebellious because of my parents. I did things I thought that I had to do because I wanted to fit in. I was a little promiscuous, but I think that I would have remembered a liaison with you," she told him.

"You still don't remember?"

"No, I don't. But, I do this. I have never slept with anyone named Ibrahim."

"Do you remember the son of Omari ibn Ali El-Sadat?"

"No."

"How do you not remember him? You used to call him little Abram, because he didn't want to have an Arabic name. He turned from his culture so he would fit in better with you and your friends in Roma. You called me Abram Luciano. You were the only one who was ever nice to me. And, don't think I haven't forgotten our nights together when you would sneak out of the consulate to find me. I remember everything, Emily. Every detail," he told her.

She fought to keep her face neutral. She had to keep her eyes on him to keep from widening them. She focused on his face trying to find something similar, something that she should remember, but she still couldn't find anything.

"Don't you remember how you'd beg me to help you feel something?"

She kept her eyes on him. She had to focus on something to keep herself from screaming at him. She couldn't remember ever sleeping with him. She wondered if he had fixated on her way back then and waited until now to make his move. It was obvious that he wanted her, but she wanted to know how he'd found her. She needed to know how deeply his psychosis went.

"So we were close in Rome?" she asked.

"Yes, we were."

"Who else besides Matthew was I close to back then?" she questioned.

"Johnny," he replied.

She was taken aback. He knew more than she thought he should. She watched him as he inched closer to her. He made sure to stay near enough to her side that she could hit him with her head or kick him with her legs. He was too close. She wasn't sure what he was really thinking.

"You know Johnny?"

"How do you think I found you again, Emily?" he asked smugly.

She didn't let her emotions betray her. She was thankful that her mother's upbringing and teaching her to hide her feelings behind her stone cold face in times like these. She would have to wait for him to give her more. She wasn't sure how long she could hold out knowing that he knew everything about her. She wondered how long he'd been following her, how long he'd been looking into her past, and how much he actually knew.

"You remember don't you, Emily? You remember us being together in Rome? You remember how I made you feel? But yet, you sit there, chained, beaten, and you pretend that you don't remember. I know that you remember. I can see it in your eyes."

"What you see is contempt for you," Emily nearly spat at him.

"Contempt for the one you turned to for comfort so many nights ago? You lied to Johnny and Matthew about the abortion. You lied to your mother. You lied to me. You gave up our child."

"I never had a child. I lost it that year. I couldn't bear being in Rome after that. I asked Mom to let me go to France and to my grandfather's. I never had a kid," Emily explained.

"You think that I don't know the truth? I have watched you since you fled Italy. I used my father's resources to find you and our child. I wasn't going to let her go without knowing her father, but you had to make it hard. You had to hide her, but I was stronger. I know where she is and I know who she is. I found her, Emily. I found our daughter. I found out everything."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Emily told him.

He stood up and crossed the room. He started pacing. It was like he was searching for more words to say to her. He seemed angry with himself for telling her too much too quickly. He stopped quickly and turned to face her. She could see the rage in his eyes. There was nothing else there but pure unadulterated rage. She cocked her head slightly at him trying to gauge what he was about when she felt the first sting of his hand across her cheek.

Her head snapped with the force. She could feel the pain radiating through her head. It was the second and third blows that caught the same place on her face that she finally tasted the iron of her blood in her mouth. She quickly swallowed it as not to let him know that she was injured.

"You didn't think I would know?" he shouted at her.

"I never touched you to know that you had a daughter," she screamed at him.

He stopped his blows upon her cheek. He turned his whole body so that he could look into her eyes. He wanted the truth from her and he was bound to get it. He didn't care what he had to do to her. He wanted his daughter. He would find her and he would give her the home that she had so long been without.

"Where is she?"

"Where is who?" Emily questioned.

"Our daughter! You thought that telling everyone that you had an abortion that she would just go away. You thought that by getting closer to Matthew that I wouldn't see the signs. I know you! I knew that you were just a rebel woman who was looking to punish her parents for their politics, but I never thought you capable of killing a child. I knew you wouldn't. I knew you couldn't. You ran and hid in France. You thought I lost you, but I didn't. I found you. I found the birth certificate of our daughter. Matthew may have taken her from you Emily, but he will not take her from me! Where is my daughter?" he asked trying to maintain some control of his voice and failing quite miserably.

"I don't have a daughter!" she shouted back at him.

He realized that she wasn't going to tell him anything without some more motivation. He just didn't know what kind of motivation he could use the most effectively. He pulled himself up to his full height. He tried to make himself more imposing. He needed her to sweat. He needed her fear and that is exactly what she wasn't giving him.

"I'll be back," he told her as he storming out of the room.

She relaxed. She tried pulling on the chains and the cuffs, again. There was still no give. She looked around the room. She needed to find a way out. She needed to find something. She couldn't see anything. This wooden box of a cell would become her coffin if she let it. She had to find out a way out.

She leaned against the post and sighed. Her mind went back to her time in Rome. Could she honestly have slept with the man? She couldn't remember. She was getting dehydrated and she knew that her mind would start to play tricks on her if she didn't stay focused. She shook off the bad thoughts about what was going to possibly happen to her. She needed to focus on what this Ibrahim thought he knew about her. She needed to figure out how he found out about her past.

She could remember the wild parties, the drinking, the sex, but she couldn't remember ever calling anyone "Abram Luciano." She tried to remember. She really did, but she couldn't place him. She remembered going out with Johnny and Matthew. They took care of each other. They were the three American amigos. They had each other's back. They knew each other better than their own families did.

She remembered the day that she told Matthew that she was pregnant. She remembered going to the cathedral to talk with Father Benedict. She remembered falling on Matthew's shoulder. She remembered Johnny leaving with his family back to the States. She remembered feeling empty and alone, but Matthew never left her side. He was with her when she begged to go to France. She was with him in France as she hid at her grandfather's vineyard and winery. He stayed with her until she was almost six months pregnant. He'd gone back to Rome to pass along the lie about the abortion. A lie she came to believe because Matthew cleaned it all up. He took care of everything for her. She was too young to understand, too young to forget and too young to deal with it all. Matthew took her daughter and fled into the European landscape. Emily went back to the States, without her daughter, with her mother, without her friends, and she tried to build a life that she could call her own and out of the shadow of her mother.

She just couldn't remember him. She lived her life without knowing her daughter. She hoped that Matthew took care of her. She learned from Johnny that Matthew had died. She had started searching for her daughter, but she lost trace of her in Rome. She knew that after she'd gone undercover and joined the FBI that Matthew hid her deeper and made her life more complicated to find. She appreciated that. She really did. But, now all it did is make her wonder more.

"Very often, all the activity of the human mind is directed not in revealing the truth, but in hiding in the truth." Leo Tolstoy


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But, as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away." Ismail Haniyeh

She didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have. Emily leaned back against the post. She tried to stretch her neck. It was then that she realized that she was restrained. Her head was fastened to the post now. She was more restricted. Her eyes darted around the room. She was trying to find out if anyone else was in the room with her, now.

"Ah, good, you're awake."

He stepped around in front of her. His eyes were watching her. He was fixated on her.

She didn't know how to respond to him. He wasn't exactly given her any reason to trust him. She just wanted to get out of there and he had made sure that she couldn't move. It wasn't looking good. She didn't know what was coming but she knew that it couldn't be good.

She hadn't realized that he slipped into Arabic. She knew it and understood it. She could tell that he knew that fact, too. He had been researching her as much as he had been researching her daughter. He kept talking to her, but she didn't respond. She was too busy trying to compartmentalize everything that he was saying to her both in Arabic and English. She knew that if she could put her feelings and the facts about what happening to her behind her infamous walls, then she would process it, deal with the pain, and get her revenge in the end against him.

"Now, you aren't going to answer me?" he asked her.

She looked up at him. He wasn't smiling at her anymore. All of his mirth was gone. He was genuinely angry with her. And, there was nothing that she could do about it.

"I'll get what I want from you," he told her.

He left the room again. When he came back, the curly haired man came back in with him. She watched them both as they paced in front her for a few moments and seemed to be arguing in Arabic. She still didn't let on that she understood what they were saying. She could tell that they were arguing and that it was about her. What she didn't understand is why the curly haired man was speaking up for her now. She continued to watch his demeanor. He might be a way out for her.

She decided not to plan anything until she knew what was beyond the door. It was when she realized that they had stopped talking that she knew something bad was about to happen. She watched as the curly haired man walked behind her and unhooked her from the chain. She felt the pull on her wrists from her cuffs as he dragged her up to her feet by them. She kept her eyes on Ibrahim. She realized that she couldn't trust him. He was crazy. The curly haired man was the only that could help her now.

As she was dragged across the room, she heard them begin to talk again. She realized that Ibrahim was giving the curly haired man more orders. And by the sounds of them, she knew that she wasn't going to like them at all.

She dropped her feet purposefully catching her toes in the floor. She was trying to gauge how long and how many steps that she was being taken from her wooden room. She stumbled along, silently counting in her head. They didn't even attempt to cover her eyes or stop her from shuffling along. It didn't take long for her to be thrust into another room.

This room was more industrial. It was all concrete room. This was his torture room. Her heart sunk.

She saw the devastation that she was about to endure and there was nothing than she could to stop. He wanted answers that she just didn't have and he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

The curly haired man dragged her over to the middle of the room. She saw the hook and chains hanging. She was pulled over. She saw him grab the mechanical lift for the wench and pulley system that the hook was on. He lowered it down and hooked it up to the cuffs. Then he slowly raised the chained hook back up toward the ceiling until she was barely able to toe the ground. She was off balance.

She didn't know how long she would be able to slay in that position before she passed out. Her own weight would cause her to suffocate if she couldn't get some sort of purchase with her foot. She tried to block out the pain in her shoulders and focused on both men, plotting their deaths, slowly at her hands.

"Leave her like this for an hour. Then we will see if she wants to talk. I will have my answers, Emily. I will break you every way I know how, because you have broken me by hiding our child from me."

"I would like to see you try." she hissed at him through the pain in her arms, swinging from the ceiling.

He and the curly haired man left. She tried not to think about anything. She tried to clear her mind. She tried to find a place where the pain didn't exist, where she was free and happy, where he couldn't get to her. Her mind wandered, but it went a little too far. She would later blame it on her lack of real sleep, food and water, and her damned emotions that would leave her alone.

She thought about JJ. She couldn't help herself. She tried to push the thoughts away but she couldn't. She knew that she was losing oxygen to her brain and that her arms were going numb because of lack of blood flow. She was in pain and she did what she always did. She thought of JJ. She wondered how close they were to finding her.

It was then that her thoughts took another turn. She thought about all the times she almost told JJ that she loved her. She shook her head. She couldn't think about JJ. She couldn't let her mind betray her like that. She knew that Ibrahim and any of the others that would come to torture her would use JJ against her. She couldn't allow that. She knew that losing JJ would be the one thing that broke her and not knowing if JJ and Amelia had figured out where she was, if they made it to the compound she was in, and if they had been captured in trying to rescue her. JJ would be the most effective thing to break her completely. She knew it, but they could never know it. She willed JJ from her mind and tried to think about something else.

Her mind wondered further back to her past. She thought about her time in Rome with Matthew and Johnny. She tried to remember Ibrahim, again. The longer she hung there the more she tried to remember until a name flashed before her eyes.

OMAR

He had told her that he was the son of Omari ibn Ali El-Saddat. She remembered the delegation from Egypt coming to see her mother in Rome. There were some tense talks about religion and allowing Christians the freedom of worship in Egypt. It was an interesting delegation. Omar Momed El-Saddat was a liaison of sorts to the main cleric in Cairo. He had been in Rome to try to garner peace with the Pope and for all Muslims.

She couldn't remember why he decided to visit her mother and she didn't really care at the time. Egypt was a political ally with the West to a certain degree. There was no reason for her or her mother to question his visit then. Iran was the enemy.

She stared at the gray concrete wall and wondered about a son. She remembered a young man that followed Omari around. He couldn't have been older than twelve at the time and he certainly would have never been on her radar as someone to "play" with. She only had eyes for Matthew and Johnny back then.

She tried to remember more about the kid. There just wasn't anything that she could note. He was a typical well-born, slightly Western taught, non-threatening, Middle Eastern Muslim. There was nothing there. She tried to move on from him, but she couldn't. She thought about his face and eyes. The one that she never forgot about someone no matter how hard she tried, but she just couldn't place the face of the boy on the face of the man willing to torture her. They were not the same person.

She could only guess that an hour had gone by because the curly haired man came back in the room. He grabbed the remote to the wench and let her down slightly so she could stand almost flat footed on the floor. She was thankful for the slight reprieve but it also worried her. She didn't know what was coming. Sure, he'd let her down, but for what?

"Are you ready to tell him anything?" he asked with a slight nasally voice.

"I have nothing to tell him," she replied.

He smiled. He figured as much. He knew that it wouldn't be enough for Ibrahim. Ibrahim was not going to let it go. He had latched on to the woman and the knowledge than she had a daughter. He'd seen the pictures of the daughter in question. She wasn't his. There was no way she was his.

"She's not his child," the curly haired man said.

"No, she's not."

"Do you know who her father is?" he asked her.

"I have an educated guess," she replied.

"But, Ibrahim is not her father."

"No, there is no way he could he. I've never slept with him. I don't really know him all."

"He's fixated on you," he told her.

"So I've noticed," she replied.

"I can't let you go."

"I know."

"He wants me to torture you."

"I know."

"I don't want to," he told her.

"I know."

"I have to or he'll hurt me and my family."

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"I know," she told him.

"When they come for you, will you try to help me?" he asked her.

She could see the sorrow in his eyes. She could understand his predicament, but she couldn't understand how he fell into working for Ibrahim. She didn't know what she could do for him, but she knew that she would try because he'd asked. Damn him, for doing that and appealing to her humanity, however slight it might be. She wasn't sure that she would be able to stop Amelia and JJ anyway, but she would try if she was still conscious when they finally got to her. She nodded at him because she couldn't say the words.

He understood what the slight head bob meant. He pushed the down button on the wench controls again, giving her more slack in the chain. She fell to her knees. It was only a slight reprieve as he picked her up by the cuffs like he had before. He dragged her across the room.

She looked at the slab of cement and then at him. She didn't know what he wanted her to do. She knew that whatever was about to come that she wasn't going to like it. She didn't know what kind of torture was planned for that apparatus but it didn't look pleasant.

He pulled her up to her feet and laid her across the slab. He affixed the cuffs above her head to an eyebolt. Her arms were now stretched out above her head. At least this way she could actually breathe. She decided not to dwell on the fact that he was about to hurt her. She found comfort in the small things right now. She couldn't…wouldn't break, no matter what he did.

"I'm sorry," he said.

It was the last thing that she would remember him saying for the next few hours. He blind folded her with a piece of towel. She wasn't happy about not seeing what was coming. She felt her legs being chained to the other end of the slab. Her body was affectively penned to the slab. There was no play in the restraints. She had no choice but to lay still, and then she realized that was only part of the torture.

When the water hit her face it was slow at first. It was just enough to get her wet. It was enough to slowly drive her insane. The pace was not meant to scare her or the drown her. It wasn't exactly water boarding. It was more like Chinese water torture. It was meant for her to break.

She heard the door to the room open and then closed. She knew that she was alone. The water didn't stop. It kept falling slowly upon her forehead. She tried to make her mind go somewhere else so the water wouldn't bother her.

Her mind drifted back to the States and back to JJ. She couldn't help it. It times of trouble she always thought of the blond. She kept her grounded in a way that no one else could. In the short time they knew each other, JJ had managed to get behind her walls and make her care. It wasn't rational for Emily and for once she didn't care. She didn't reason to care for JJ. She just did.

She thought about her smile. The quirky way that her eyes lit up when someone asked her about Henry. She thought about her love for Henry. She thought about the way that she would play with the necklace around her neck. She remembered the day that JJ told her about the necklace. She saw the pain in her eyes before the small flash of a smile as JJ remembered good times with her sister. Emily latched onto the memory of JJ and held onto it until her mind started to give.

Time was now her enemy. She had no concept of it. She had no way to judge it. And, she knew that was part of the torture that Ibrahim wanted for her. He wanted her unbalanced.

He was winning slowly. She couldn't believe that she was giving up so easily. She focused on anything that her brain would allow her to. She started with JJ, then flowed into her Interpol team. As she progressed with the people that she loved, she knew that she was losing what to hold onto most. She tried to focus on any one of them for a long period of time, but the water was not helping her stay focused on any of them for a long period of time.

As time slowly crept by only marked by the dripping water on her head, she finally tried to move her head. With the way that she was being restrained, she could only twist her head slightly to each side. By turning her head to the side, she only alleviated the dripping water only being in one spot by moving it to another spot. This of course only worked for a few minutes before she would turn her head again.

Time was still moving and she had nothing to gauge the actual passing. The drips weren't consistent as far as she could tell but then again she wasn't sure. Then like it started, it suddenly stopped. The water was gone.

Or, so she thought. The drip ended, but the deluge began. Over and over water dumped on her face. She had no way of getting away from it. She swallowed some. She spat out some. Now the real torture to her body would begin. Now it was water boarding. She fought against the panic. She fought against the urge and adrenaline. Her "fight or flight" response was starting to take over. Her mind was reeling because it thought she was drowning. No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she wasn't, her mind wouldn't believe it.

She fought against speaking out. She fought by trashing her head as much as she could. She held on to her family, real and work, especially those from the BAU and JJ, as her mind started to frantically give into the water's torturing effects. Her body was reeling from the water that she was breathing in and swallowing. She couldn't stop it. She couldn't make her body not gasp and reflexively struggle to breathe.

"It can all end if you just tell me where she is," Ibrahim told her.

_When did he come back into the room? Why didn't I hear the door? Where is the curly haired man? What does he want with my daughter? Why now? What is his stressor?_

Emily fought to maintain control of her mind as it started to panic. Her breathing was becoming harder to control. She knew that it would be so easy to just give in and lay there. Let the water destroy her body, then he would have nothing but her corpse. Every time that her body started to go limp, her mind flashed with JJ and the voice of Amelia telling her to hang on.

"I will," she stated.

"You will tell me where she is?" Ibrahim questioned her.

"What is her name?" Emily asked.

"Whose name?"

"Our daughter's," she stated through coughs of water.

"You named her Aimee Elizabeth Prentiss," Ibrahim told her, coming closer to the cement slab.

"What else do you have on her?" she asked.

"That you gave her to Matthew," he replied.

"That is all I know," Emily told him.

"You have to know more," he demanded.

"That was part of the deal."

"The deal?" he questioned.

"Yes, the deal with Matthew. I gave her to him to raise. He adopted her so to speak, changed her name, got new birth certificates, changed my name on the records, hid her from me. I didn't want to know her. I didn't have any rights to her. I gave her away," Emily answered truthfully, not knowing whether the she was crying or it was left over drops of water seeping through the towel on her face.

"I know that much. I also know that he got her a new birth certificate in Rome of all places. He named her Amelia Benton. Now, where is she? I cannot believe that you, as her mother, wouldn't know where she is or what she is doing. You would have found ways to keep tabs on her even if you didn't have direct contact. Where is she?"

"I don't know," Emily told him.

"You are lying to me."

"No, I am not."

"Do you know an Amelia Isabella Benton?" he asked right next to her ear.

"I do."

"Where is she?"

"I am right here."

"The less time you spend with the truth the easier it is to believe the lies." Lecrea


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage." Friedrich Nietzsche

The water stopped completely. She felt someone run another towel over her face, drying it slightly. She wasn't sure if she should be happy or worried about what was to come.

"You're Amelia Benton?"

"On some papers, yes, I am," Emily told him.

This didn't seem to pacify him, but he didn't do anything more. He just stood there. She could feel him near her without him actually touching her. She wished she could actually see where he was in relation to her.

"So you are Amelia Isabelle Benton?"

"Yes, it is an alias that I used several times when I went out in Rome. It was hard being the daughter of an ambassador. You should know what being a diplomat's child means."

"I do."

"So I hope that you can understand why I would have used another name," Emily replied.

He moved around the room. He was pacing, but she couldn't tell how close he was to her. She also didn't know if the curly haired man was still there. She tried to bow her arms just enough so that her arms were further from her ears. She hoped that the movement would allow her to guesstimate where they were in the room.

"Get her up. Hang her again. An hour and then we will talk again," he said.

She heard the door open and close. She heard some shuffling around the room. It wasn't like whomever was still in the room was trying to hide their movements. She felt a hand on her ankle. It was then that she realized that she wasn't wearing her boots. Her feet were bare and she could feel the warmth of their hand on her skin. Suddenly, her right foot was free. She wasn't about to move. She was still tied down with her arms. She wasn't about to fight him, yet.

Once both legs were free, she felt him moving beside the slab. He reached the area near her hands. She felt them move a little, but not much. Suddenly she was back on her feet and the towel on her eyes fell to the ground. He had ahold of her by the cuffs. She could feel him sitting her up. She felt the blood moving through her arms. The pins and needles feeling was about to disappear as she was hung from the ceiling again. She watched him as he attached the small chain between the cuffs back to the wench's chain. He reached over and grabbed the wench's controls. She felt herself being raised off the floor. Once again, her toes were barely touching the floor. After he had her in position again, he left her alone.

She watched him leave. She felt the strain in her arms. She hoped that the hour that Ibrahim proscribed for her punishment would go by quickly this time. But, she feared that it wouldn't.

Things had gotten complicated for her. She was swinging and her mind was starting to give into the pain. She knew that she might start hallucinating but she knew that she had to keep her wits about her. She couldn't let Ibrahim see any weakness. She had to keep her mind ahead of him for as long as she could. She could hold on and she would. She had to for everyone.

As her mind began to wander again from the lack of oxygen because she was slowly suffocating hanging from the ceiling in that position, she remembered her time back in Rome. Matthew forced her to go back to church after it all. The priest thought that she actually had the abortion and neither Matthew nor Emily had corrected him. It was their secret and they used it to protect Amelia from everyone, especially her strict and public image conscious mother.

"Now, I know how Jesus felt on the cross suffocating slowly," she mused.

She knew that the thoughts were sacrilegious but she didn't care. Her world was slowly becoming the torture room. She couldn't see past the concrete walls. She was trying to keep her spirits up, but there was nothing and no one that helped with it. The walls were starting to close in around her. She closed her eyes trying to ground herself.

When she opened them, she was back in Hotch's office the first day she started at the BAU. He was so intense. She immediately admired him. She was upset because she didn't understand why he didn't know about her transfer from Chicago there. She wanted to make a good impression for him. She wanted to prove herself to him, to prove that she belonged there, and that she was a good profiler.

She remembered him sending her with Gideon to Gitmo. Gideon was odd in his own way but he could read people better than anyone she knew, except her mother. Gideon was straightforward in his approach, but his tactics weren't always the best according to policy but he got the job done. She couldn't fault him that. Plus, he helped write the book on profiling for the BAU.

Rossi was a like a big Italian uncle. He was like a second father to everyone in the BAU. She wasn't sure that he was going to be good for the team when he first came back to the BAU. She knew that he was one of the first in the BAU, but he was a famous writer. She wasn't sure that he still ready to deal with their cases. He was brilliant, but she had been wrong. He was ready and he always would be. The fight to stop the craziness that they hunted was part of him. He was hunter, both in and out of the office. She figured it was the thrill of the chase that led him back to the BAU. She was even more surprised when he talked religion with her. Both being Catholic and speaking both Latin and Italian, they understood each other because of how they were raised. They were similar but so different. She missed him.

She pushed up from the floor a little. She was trying to alleviate some of the pressure on her body and her lungs. She took the deepest breath that she could. She dropped her weight and pushed up again, trying to grab the hook. She didn't get it.

She heard a voice in her head. She let her body hang and she looked around the room trying to figure out if the voice was real or if she was just hearing. She didn't see anyone. She shook her head. She realized that she was starting to actually hallucinate. She closed her eyes.

"Emily?"

She opened her eyes to see Morgan standing in front of her. He was dressed in a blue t-shirt and his normal cargo pants and boots. He looked like he was ready to break down a door and take some perp into custody. She smiled at the vision, knowing he wasn't really there, but enjoying the time with her former partner anyway.

"Morgan?" she asked.

"That right, Princess. Well, this certainly is a mess. I am not sure how I am going to get you out of this one. But, you have to promise to hang on. Don't you go dying on me again," he told her.

She laughed, remembering him holding her after the fight with Doyle. He was so distraught. She was still mad that he thought that she died in his arms. It was the biggest regret of that case. She was proud of her team for helping her even though they she was dead. She was proud of Morgan for continuing on and trying to catch him so he could avenge her death.

"You can't die on me, Princess. You still owe me a night out and a few beers. This time we'll go out and sing karaoke. Garcia found some tapes of you. I can't wait to hear you sing."

She laughed again. She wondered what tapes Garcia would have found, but knowing Garcia, she had some of her. She smiled thinking about Garcia and her technical prowess with anything and everything in the cyber world. She missed her. She could have used her a few times during this case, but she couldn't risk breaking cover. Garcia had broken FBI protocol many times to help her. And, she missed her quirkiness. She was always grateful when Morgan and she came to visit. She'd take them around London and show them a nice time. Never letting them stay in hotel, she always made them stay at her flat. They were her best friends, except for JJ.

"Prentiss?" another voice asked.

She saw the young Doctor Reid before her. His hair was disheveled. His smile met his hazel eyes. She could see the worry on his face.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her.

"No, not yet. Don't forget I can take it. This isn't your fault," she told him.

He smiled. She could remember being in that church with that cult. She could remember the look on Reid's face when he saw her after Cyrus had beaten her. He blamed himself. He kept thinking if he had been stronger that he could have protected her, but instead she protected him. It had taken him weeks to get over it. It took until all her bruises faded. But she knew that he was grateful that they thought on the same wavelength. There were many times that he saw some pattern that was staring her in the face and vice versa. They spoke sometimes and they were the only ones that understood. Often after bouts of this, Emily would have to break things down to the rest of the team. She would have had it any other way. Reid was the little brother that she never had and she loved him like a brother.

She closed her eyes again. Thinking about the team hurt. She had to leave. Yeah, it had been a few years and it took her over a year to fully unpack in London, but she'd done it. She'd moved on. Things were perfect and they would never be. She'd thrown herself into work because she felt that she needed to do it. She was good at surviving. She was a survivor. It was what she had become. It wasn't that she didn't need the team, she did. She loved them all.

It was the pain in her heart that she was running from. She couldn't stay near JJ anymore. She loved her and she didn't want to hide it anymore. She figured that if she left it would get easier because she would have to see her every day. There were a few times that she wanted to go back, and beg Aaron to take her back, but she didn't. She was a Unit Chief with Interpol. She had her own team that she was responsible for and that she had to lead.

"You love her?" the vision of Reid asked her.

"Haven't I always?" she asked aloud.

"Tell me why?"

She just stared at the vision. She didn't know whether or not she could trust it. She decided that she couldn't and wanted err on the side of caution. She was enough trouble with bringing more to her former team and JJ. She knew that Amelia would have contacted her by now, but she couldn't let her thoughts drift to JJ too much. She couldn't let Ibrahim find out about her.

"No," she told him.

"I know why," he stated.

"Then tell me."

"It is because she is beautiful, inside and out. She is like the team mother. She worries about us all. She is one of the best profilers among us even though she doesn't exactly have the credentials for it. She sees the horribleness in the crimes we investigate and she still manages to comfort the families of our victims. She is a great asset and she keeps the team together."

"All true," she replied.

"But, that wasn't enough for you was it, Emily. It wasn't enough for you that she was just your friend, your best friend. It wasn't enough that she loved you enough to lie about your death and still contact you while you were gone. It wasn't enough that she gave you the littlest ray of hope while you are that dark mission and it wasn't enough that she wasn't going to let you succumb to that darkness. She couldn't love you the way you wanted to her to, so you left her. And, when she needed you the most, you abandoned her. You are the one that left. You are the one that ran. She did everything she could for you and it still wasn't enough. Why?" he demanded.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to weep for every bit of truth that the vision said, but she couldn't. She had to stay strong. She couldn't let herself fail.

"I loved them all, but I couldn't stay."

"Because you put your needs before their own. You knew what happened after Gideon left. You were there, but still you left. Not such much as a real explanation, just that you got the job offer and couldn't turn it down. Why did you leave Emily? Really? Can you tell yourself that? Can you make yourself believe it was just because it was the job offer of a lifetime?" he asked.

She didn't answer. She finally let the tears fall from her face. She should have known that her own mind would torture her better than Ibrahim could. She had seen too much darkness. He was just crazy. And, while she feared crazy, she couldn't hide from her own memories, her own darkness, and her own self-induced punishments.

"Can you make me believe that you didn't run from JJ?" the vision asked, now turning into Garcia, with her flamboyant pink and blond hair.

She closed her eyes against it. She willed away the vision, hoping that when she opened her eyes she would just four concrete walls and torture devices. She inwardly chuckled. She was hoping to see torture. She truly lived in a sick world when depravity was something that she hoped for.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Ibrahim and the curly haired man. She didn't know whether to thankful or not. She was lowered until her feet were flat on the ground. She raised her eyes, defiantly to Ibrahim's and waited.

"Are you ready to tell me where she is?"

"I don't know," she replied.

"Surely, you know where your daughter is?"

"I really don't. Matthew hid her from me and he was right to do so. I joined the FBI out of college. She would have been in danger should anyone that I went after came after me. It was safer for us both if I didn't know who she was," Emily told him.

"You don't actually believe that, do you?"

"I have seen what agents will do to protect their families. Yes, I do believe that. I still believe that. I know that she had a loving home. Something that I couldn't provide her. She was also safe. Something else that I couldn't guarantee. Has there been a day that I haven't thought of her? No, there hasn't and there never will be. She is my daughter and she is part of me."

"But, yet, you lie and say that you had an abortion," he spat out.

"It was easier to explain. Do you know what my mother would have done to me had she known? She would have made me marry the fool. She would have shipped me back home a disgrace and cut me off completely. It was my Grandfather that saved her. He is the man that saved us both."

He glared at her. He hadn't missed the part where he assumed that she had called him a fool. He balled his fists up in anger. She could see the fire in her eyes. She turned her face to meet his as best she could.

"You've asked for this. Remember that later. I just want to know where my daughter is and you won't tell me. This is because you won't tell me that. Remember that this is all your fault," he told her as he continued to clench and unclench his fists.

He didn't wait for her acknowledge his statement. He just punched her. The first landed in her gut, but she couldn't double over in pain. The next across her face as her head sagged from the first blow. She was still strung up by the cuffs. Her body sagged as much as it could. The blows didn't stop. He continued to rain down on her body. She had no way to deflect it.

She looked up to see the curly haired man grimace with each punch. She could see the sorrow in his eyes and the anger. She knew that he wanted to stop Ibrahim. She could see it in his eyes, but she also knew that he wouldn't stop. He was powerless to stop him. She knew it. He knew that she knew, but he didn't still didn't try to step up to help her. He was still the one that tortured her when Ibrahim didn't. He was still the one that hurt her.

The blows didn't stop. She tried to count them so that she could just melt away from the pain. She knew that statistically Reid would have done the same thing. It would help him find something else to focus on besides the pain that his body was taking. She tried, but it didn't work the way she'd hoped. She felt the pain but her mind started deceiving her.

She heard screams from outside the door. She sat the curly headed man go out to check on the commotion. He didn't come back inside. She caught the distinct whine of Glock that was silenced. Whoever it was, they were close. They were really close to her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw two people standing in front of her. One had long blond hair and blue eyes like the deep ocean. The other looked a lot like her mother or herself when she was younger. The brunette was younger than the blonde and her hair was dark, but not quite black. Emily tried to focus on them, but her eyes couldn't.

They came busting in the room. The brunette took out Ibrahim. He looked at her and smiled. As he lay dying in a pool of his and Emily's blood mixing, he smiled at the younger woman that shot him. She didn't understand why until she heard him say his last words to the brunette.

"Amelia, finally I meet you," he told her as he lay there dying.

Emily turned to face him and the brunette. The movement was sharp and painful. It was bad enough that her eyes were playing tricks on her. Now, her ears were, too. There was no way that the Amelia that was her. It couldn't be the same Amelia. It couldn't be her daughter.

"Emily?" the blond asked.

She couldn't answer. Her body hurt too much. Her throat burned from where held in the screams. She felt herself being lowered to the ground. She felt her feet hit the concrete floor. Her body followed next as she couldn't hold herself up. She felt her body being held up before she could actually touch the floor. She tried to open her eyes again, but they were so heavy.

"Emily stay with me," she heard the voices say.

"Don't you do this to me. Don't you die on me. Don't you dare die on me."

Emily opened her eyes. They met ones so like her own. There was a recognition there.

"Amelia?" she asked with a voice she didn't know she had.

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. I'm here. We've got you. You're safe. Just stay awake for me, okay?"

"We need to move."

"I'll carry her. You get us to the hospital. I'll flash a badge or two if I have to. Just get me to the hospital, JJ," Amelia told her.

"Stay with us, Prentiss. Don't you dare give up on me. I haven't given up on you."

She barely registered the shots being fired around her. Her body was so racked with pain that she couldn't stay conscious. She could hear them screaming at her to stay awake, but she knew it was in vain. She had already passed out. This was nothing more than a dream. JJ and Amelia hadn't come. And, there was no way that Amelia, her handler and feeder, was her long lost daughter. There was no way. She just let the darkness over take her and deeper into sleep she fell until there was nothingness and darkness surrounding her. Her body felt light and her soul free. The pain started to ebb and suddenly there was a light beckoning her home.

"In the name of Hypocrites, doctors have invented the most exquisite form of torture ever known to man: survival." Edward Everett Hale


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold." André Maurois

Hotch looked at the print outs that had been left behind. He wasn't happy that they didn't have good information. He wanted to know more before he sent anyone into the fray. There was still so much that they didn't know.

He chanced a glance at the antique clock above the mantle in the room. It was just before seven local time. He sighed. They were losing the trail and time. They needed to move fast. They needed to be leaving for Germany soon to see what they could find.

No sooner had he thought that then Mac, Morgan and Rossi came into the makeshift war room. Pettigrew followed them with the other officer. There was a new addition to their crew, a woman. Hotch smiled at them as they all sat down at a station and began to figure out what they could to save Emily. They all had the same thought. Find the clue that would lead them to her.

Reid came in next. He sat down at a large pile of paper and begun reading it as Garcia came in. She immediately went to her bank of computers and started plugging away. They needed information and they needed it quickly. No one said a word. They were all too busy looking for something that would lead them to Emily. There was no need to talk.

At seven ten, Pettigrew stood up and crossed the room. He didn't give an indication that he knew more than they did about what was going on. He just left the room for the kitchens. He passed Elizabeth on the way. Their eyes met and with a subtle nod much was said. He continued on his way to bring the team coffee knowing that they would need it.

Elizabeth entered the room around seven twelve. Hotch gave her a weak smile which she returned. She knew that he was doing everything that he could to find Emily. She also knew that JJ and Amelia had a better chance of doing it because of their "outside" contacts. It wasn't that she didn't trust Hotch and his team. It was the fact that they weren't used to working on an international level.

She sat down in a high backed wing chair. Pettigrew came back into the room with multiple coffee pots and cups. He sat them down on the buffet next to the settee. He poured two cups and doctored them with an expert hand. He then handed one to Elizabeth and sat down in the other chair next to hers with the other cup. He took a sip and glanced at the clock. It was now seven fifteen and Hotch hadn't noticed that he was still missing members of the team.

Hotch saw his glance at the clock. He looked at it, too. He sighed. Rossi looked at him and then the clock. He couldn't quite make out what Hotch was getting upset about, but he did as soon as he did a quick survey of the room. JJ wasn't there and no one from their team had met Amelia yet.

"Hotch?"

"I've noticed it, too," he told Rossi.

So he didn't disturb anyone or alert them to his concern, Hotch moved around the table to where Reid was sitting. He noticed that the genius was almost half way done with the pile of information that he had been left to sift through. Hotch leaned over like he was reviewing the paper work and spoke softly to him.

"Go back up stairs and find JJ. If she isn't up, get her up and down here. If she is up, get her down here. Be quick about it, but don't look like you are in a hurry. We need to get going and I need to know that she can handle this," Hotch stated just above a whisper, but loud enough for Reid.

Reid stood up. He didn't acknowledge anything that Hotch said. He just left the room.

Hotch watched him leave and hoped that he was wrong. He hope that JJ would be able to handle this. He knew that she und Emily were close. He knew that they had always been close. He counted on that. He just hoped that this wasn't too much after everything that JJ had been through in the past few months to break her. Hoping he wasn't right, he went over to Garcia before Reid came back down.

"Garcia, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, my liege?" she asked him.

"I want you to ping JJ's phone," he told her.

Garcia stopped typing. She turned and looked up into Hotch's piercing brown eyes. She saw the worry there, but she didn't know who it was for at that time. Was it for Emily or JJ?

"Sir?" she questioned.

"Garcia, I need to know where JJ is right now," he stated.

She turned back to the computers and began typing. She pulled up every number that she knew that JJ had. She began the trace and the ping. Two numbers came in up in Virginia, which wasn't surprising and they were pinging there. The last number was pinging in London. When Garcia dug deeper, she saw that it was at the Ambassador's residence.

"Sir, she pinging here," Garcia told him.

"Thank you, Garcia," he replied going back over to Rossi.

"So?" Rossi asked.

"Her phone is here," Hotch stated.

They all looked up as Reid came running back into the room yelling for Hotch.

"What is it, Reid?" he asked him.

"She's gone."

"What?" Morgan questioned suddenly realizing than JJ was missing.

"There is no way that she slept here. She's gone. Her bag is there with her phone, but there were these on the desk. They are addressed to you," he told Hotch, handing him one letter, then Garcia the other, before saying, "And, you."

Hotch look the letter while staring down Elizabeth. Pettigrew stood up again and leaned over towards the Ambassador. He whispered something to her and left the room, setting his coffee cup on the side table. He was already on his phone as he walked through the door way.

"Did you know about this?" Hotch asked her with obvious hostility.

"I did."

"And, you didn't tell me?"

"It wasn't necessary at the lime. Had I deemed it important, I would have let you know. She's doing what she has to do. I would expect no less from her or you," Elizabeth told him, taking a sip of coffee.

"One of my agents isn't here and you didn't deem it relevant to tell me?" Hotch screamed.

"Hotch, calm down. Ambassador, where is she? If you tell us than, we can find help and go get Emily," Morgan said trying to reason with her.

"I don't know where she is, Agent Morgan," Elizabeth told them truthfully.

"Elizabeth..." Hotch warned.

"I don't know where she is now. I know that she left late last night for Amelia's place. Amelia has called in some covert ops to find Emily. I don't know to what extent or what information Amelia has, but I do know that she called JJ personally before you arrived in London. I gave Jennifer the means to get to her. That is all l know."

"And, you didn't tell us this before now?"

"I am trying to save my daughter, Agent Hotchner. You are after the same thing. I understand that. But, I would be a fool to think that only one plan would work. I have been politics for too many years. My daughter is my only family and I am not about to stop fighting for her. So, forgive me when I felt that a woman that has been trained by the best in the world might know where my daughter is and can get her out. Time is not a luxury we have. I will not apologize for my actions, especially to you," Elizabeth explained.

Pettigrew came back in the room at that time. He leaned over the Ambassador and whispered something to her. Her eyes widen in shock, but she nodded to him just the same. She turned to face him fully.

"Tell them that I will be there shortly. Please put the Bentley back into the garage. I am sure that they are tired. I will take them up to a room. Please have the cook prepare a big breakfast. I am sure that everyone is hungry," Elizabeth told him, and then turned to Hotch. "Excuse me. I have some guests to attend to. We'll talk later, if I have any news from Amelia or JJ."

Hotch just watched her leave. There wasn't much else he could do. He was out of his jurisdiction and was in London with Interpol's authority. He was at their mercy and he knew that they wouldn't say anything against the Ambassador. He looked to Rossi.

"Let her go, Hotch. We'll find her. Morgan, what do you have?" Rossi asked trying to get them all back on track and finding Emily.

"I can track her until Landshut. For all purposes, it doesn't look like Prentiss ever left Bavaria. Her cover phone has been pinging all over Bavaria. It seems every time Interpol has a lock on it, she moves again. But, we all know how situations like this go. I doubt that she even has her phone on her," Morgan replied.

"Do we know if she had any other forms of GPS countermeasures on her?"' Reid asked.

"Like what? A chip or something?" Mac asked them.

"Exactly. If she did, then we could track it. But, we would need to know the encryption code to it to activate it. Once we have the code, Garcia can find her, literally anywhere," Reid told them.

"Lilly, did she have a chip?" Mac asked the female officer that they still hadn't been introduced to yet.

"If she did she never reported it to us. Amelia didn't know about either as far as I know. I am sure that if Amelia did know she would have notated it somewhere. She didn't. There is no record of it. And, trust me Mac. I've searched," Lilly told him.

"Is there anything on Amelia that we need to know?" Mac asked her.

"She left Dumbarton sometime yesterday afternoon. We don't have a current location on her though. However, there was a call that came from Emily…"

"Wait, Emily contacted her? Why weren't we notified? When did this happen?" Mac asked her angrily.

"She enforced the Churchill protocol, sir. I tried to ping the phone, but it was already off by the time I got the trace started. There was no way to contact her back. It wasn't from any of her numbers and she used a distress code to activate the Churchill protocol. I transferred her to a known number for Amelia, but the call was only fifteen seconds. We need thirty to lock on."

"Bloody Hell!"

"That means that Amelia knows where she is!" Morgan shouted.

"I understand that, Agent Morgan, but she isn't going to give us that information. Amelia has a habit of going rogue when she needs to, as does Emily. They both have trust issues that are…well…deserved with how they have been treated in the past. It is why they are good at their job. It is another reason that they work together. They trust each other," Mac told him.

"So what do we do now?" Hotch asked.

"I would look for Amelia, but that would be a waste of time. We need to gather a team and head to Germany. We will be able to finish her mission and find Emily's trail al the same time. We no longer have time on our side. We are against an unknown clock and I have agents and officers in the wind. I don't like this anymore than you do, but we need to go soon."

"I agree. Lilly? You are part of Interpol?"

"Yes, I am a liaison for Interpol and Ml-5. I am technically an officer for Interpol, but I have offices with Ml-5. I pass along any information that Ml-5 might need and they in turn give me information as well. I am one of the few that knows the importance of having Captain Benton at our disposal."

"Is there anything about Captain Benton that you can tell us? No matter small. I need to know about her day yesterday. Everything you know will be helpful. Can you tell us?" Hotch asked.

"She left Dumbarton Barracks for London yesterday. She received the call from Emily. Sometime later in the early evening, she was seen in Birmingham. At approximately zero one thirty this morning, she was allowed on base at the Birmingham Barracks. That is last information or location that I have on her."

"'So, she went to Birmingham. What is in Birmingham? What units?"

"There are many there, sir." Lilly told him.

"The SAS is headquartered there, Hotch," Mac added.

"She was getting help," Rossi mused.

"She secured transportation and a plane according to Lieutenant Maxwell, sir." the SAS officer that had joined them at the airport the day before stated.

"A plane? Where is she going? Do you have a flight plan?" Hotch asked the officer.

"We don't file flight plans, sir. They are a matter of national security. If she did leave from there, they could be anywhere now. There were four flights out of there last night, Agent. Two of them to mainland Europe and the other two were to the Arabian Peninsula. And, I have no idea which one she would have been on."

"We need to find out that information. Baby Girl, can you work some magic for us? Hotch, we need to follow the leads to Germany. We need to get moving. Interpol can back us," Morgan told him with a fire in his eyes.

"You're right. Mac, Rossi, Reid, and Morgan, get a plane and get to Landshut. Find out what we missed and find the terrorist bastards that took Emily. Garcia, dig and dig hard. I want to know everything that you can find on Amelia's movements yesterday. I want to know who was on what planes and where they were going and why. Lilly, contact MI-5. Find out what they know. Lieutenant Maxwell, we are going to need the SAS's help. Do you think that you could get us a favor or two?"

"Let's go," Morgan said ushering his team out.

"Rossi, don't worry. I'll have the German State Police SRT there for you. Plus selected Interpol team. Mac, you and Morgan coordinate and do whatever you have to get what you need," Hotchner told them as they left.

"I'll makes some calls," Lilly told him, grabbing a cell and leaving the room.

He understood that she would need some privacy. They were under a crunch and needed a "Hail Mary Pass" from anyone willing to give it. He wasn't going to give up on this without the best fight he could give. He realized what Elizabeth had done was what she thought was the best possible thing due to time and information that Amelia already had, but she hadn't realized that left the rest of them in the wind. They didn't have the intel and they didn't know where to start except for in Landshut. And, that was over four hours away.

"Sir?" Lieutenant Maxwell said.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Hotch replied.

"I'll have a cargo plane waiting at Heathrow in thirty minutes. On it your team will find gear and supplies. Also, they will be flying with a small squad of the 21st SAS. They have agreed to join the mission. The captain with them said something about in the memory of their own."

"Memory of their own?" Hotch said.

"Umm…my liege?" Garcia stated looking at Hotch with a very worried look.

"What is it, Garcia?"

"Turn on the news, sir," she told him.

He turned on a TV that was in the corner of the room. Suddenly BBC News was being broadcast for them. He dropped his pen and stood up. All of them left in the room, including Garcia, stood up and walked over to the TV to see the story.

"According to sources for the local fire chief, the bomb went off shortly after three o'clock. There were no injuries reported, but emergency services are still looking through the ruble. The fire engulfed the entire complex. The main part of the blast occurred in flat 1009. This was the home of decorated 23rd SAS officer Captain Amelia Benton. It is unclear at this time if she was home at the time of the blast, but firefighters are still trying to put out the blaze. Again, everyone else in the building has been accounted for and there are no injuries. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the family of Captain Benton and we hope that she was not home at the time of the blast. We'll bring you more on this story as it unfolds," the anchor said while footage should the burning building in the background.

"Garcia?" Hotch started to ask.

"I don't know, sir. I really don't know. I'll keep digging."

Elizabeth came back into the war room with a tallish blonde and a small child. She bid them to sit down on the settee. The blonde looked at Hotch. He could feel the tension coming from her. It was like she wanted to say something, but was afraid to until Elizabeth gave her the okay.

"Aaron, I would like you to meet my granddaughter-in-law and my great-granddaughter."

He looked at them again. The blonde gave him a weak smile. Her eyes told him so much, but he knew that she would never voice it. He turned his attention to the small slumbering child.

"You are Amelia's wife?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am Diana Swift. And, this is Charlie. She is Amelia's daughter," Diana told him.

"Were they there?" Garcia asked her.

"No, they left at around one. At two o'clock, members of the 21st SAS came to the housing unit and cleared it out. By half two, we were on the road here in the Ambassador's Bentley that she'd loaned JJ. I heard the explosion and the news on our way here from Birmingham."

"Do you know where they were going?"

"Amelia was going to save her mother," Diana stated.

"Do you know where they were headed?"

"No, I don't. She told me that she had been compromised as had Emily. We needed to leave. She'd already made arrangements with the Ambassador to keep us safe. I doubt that Amelia will be her name after this morning. Soon you will hear that Captain Amelia Benton did die in that fire. There will be a body and a state funeral. Who she will be when she comes home is another story, but I know that she will find us. She always does."

"And, what about JJ?" Hotch asked.

"She is best hands possible. Amelia will bring her home. Have no doubt in that. She is safer with Amelia than anyone else."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I served with her in MI-5 in Afghanistan. She is most careful planner, most ruthless operative, most compassionate interrogator, and the best damn officer I have ever seen. Whatever intel she got, she got from what you already have. You've just missed something."

"In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong, not by number of heads counted at the dinner table, but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring, and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit." Marge Kennedy


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"If in my youth I had realized that the sustaining splendor of beauty of with which I was in love would one day flood back into my heart, there to ignite a flame that would torture me without end, how gladly would I have put out the light in my eyes." Michelangelo

She sat at the kitchen table with a set of maps and her Glock. She was methodically cleaning it while she was staring at the map of Jordan. She looked up to see JJ staring all her. In her hands, JJ had some of the papers that Amelia handed her earlier to review.

"She is in Amman?" JJ asked her.

"From what I can tell, yes. We need to be leaving soon. I've called in some favors. There is a plane waiting on us as soon as you are ready to go," Amelia told her.

"What is your plan?"

"I want to get there and see the situation. We don't have time to wait for satellite photos. I know that she is in a compound here," Amelia explained pointing at the map. "But, I've been to Jordan on diplomatic missions. I know how to get what we need once we land. We are going to be moving fast and hard. I will not hesitate to shoot anyone. I need you to know that. I will identify them all as hostile. We won't have to time to try and sort them out. If they are in the compound, they are the enemy. Are you okay with that?"

"I am not sure," JJ answered honestly.

"Are you going to hesitate on me in the field?"

"No."

"That is all I need to know. Grab your bags. We are going to base to get some more gear."

"Like what?"

"Ever shot a SA80?" Amelia asked her.

"Umm…no. I usually just carry a Glock 26 or 17. I've never had a reason to carry anything larger."

"They didn't give you training before you went to Afghanistan?" Amelia questioned, disappointed.

"How do you...never mind I don't want to know. I was given training on how to behave not how to kill. I was there to interrogate and help find Bin Laden. Yes, I was in danger, but I was issued a M9 Berretta. If we needed heavier fire power, a unit was attached to us. We were treated like VIPs."

"That was their first mistake. Do you even know how to handle a rifle or a shotgun? What were you supposed to do in a fire fight? Hope that your ten rounds actually made a difference?"

"Duck and cover. I was only to return fire if I had the shot. Fortunately, I wasn't in than many fire fights while I was there. And, the ones that I was in, I only had to fire in one once," JJ told her.

"Count yourself lucky, then, Blackbird. War is Hell. This will be by far one of my easiest operations. It is small manned, has an accomplishable goal, and I've been given carte blanch to do whatever I need to do to make sure that the operation is a success," Amelia told her.

"I am sure that had to do with the Ambassador," JJ commented.

"Partially, but it also had to do with me. I've been compromised, which caused Emily to be as well. We need to figure out why and who and stop it now before anyone is. I am committed to that. I will help you rescue her, but then I have to make sure that all loose ends are accounted for and taken care of. The good news is that I don't have to be in Jordan to do that. You ready?" she asked standing.

JJ stood up and grabbed her bug. She looked at Amelia. She wanted to say something.

"What?" Amelia asked her.

"Nothing," JJ quickly replied.

"No, what?"

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Diana and Charlie?" JJ asked.

"Are you planning on not coming home?" Amelia countered.

"No, I plan on coming back here with you and Emily."

"Then, why would I need to go tell them goodbye."

"It would make her feel better," JJ replied.

"Her or you? I am not you, JJ. I know what I have. I know what I could have had. I've made my bed and I am grateful that I get to lie in it. Diana is special. She knows what I do and why I do it. We both know that our pasts could haunt us. Why do you think that we are together? We know what this job entails. We understand that and we understand each other's need to fight that battle."

"I just know that I would like to know that you loved me before you went off into the unknown. What could it hurt to let her know that you love her? Aren't you worried about her and what she is feeling because of this?" JJ asked her.

Amelia regarded her for a moment. She knew that she wasn't the most emotional person. She knew that JJ had a point, but she had never needed to do that before. She understood that this was different.

She wouldn't be coming back as Amelia after this. She wouldn't be coming "home" per se even if she did make it back unscathed. Things were most definitely changing today, and she didn't know the complete outcome. She was okay with that, but she wasn't sure that Diana would be.

"I'll be right back," Amelia told her, walking down the hall.

JJ tried not to profile the apartment, but she couldn't help herself now that she had some time alone. It reminded her of Emily's place in DC overlooking the Mall. It wasn't a home. It was a place to lay your head. There was no personalization. It was very artistic looking. There was no flare. There was nothing that made it looked lived in past the bags on the couches and the kitchen.

She heard a cell phone ring. She heard a very cryptic, clipped conversation. Then, she saw Amelia coming back up the hallway towards her. The look on her face told her enough, but still she waited for her to say something. She'd seen that look before on Prentiss. She knew that it meant trouble wasn't far behind or they were about to head into it.

"We need to go. Now," she told JJ grabbing her bag und heading for the door without waiting for an answer or acknowledgment.

JJ rushed after her. She caught her as they were getting in the Land Rover. She started it and was backing out of the parking place before JJ could say anything.

"What's wrong?"

"I was contacted by the commander of 21 SAS. We need to be on a plane with them in under an hour or we will have to wait for a commercial flight. They are heading to Iran and we are hitching a ride. They aren't going to wait for us. We go now or we don't go until afternoon."

"Can't this go any faster?"

"We only have to go about five miles."

"There is something else."

"There is," Amelia replied.

"What?"

"The SAS will be taking care of the complex later. Diana and Charlie will be on the road in a few minutes. Some of my buddies will be coming to pack up some items and clean the building. If we're lucky, we'll be in the air before it blows."

"They are destroying you?"

"Captain Amelia Benton dies tonight on paper."

"What about...this is part of a contingency plan?"

"My whole life is a contingency plan. Everything that I have ever done has been to protect myself. Now, I have to think about Emily and Grams, too. Protecting Diana and Charlie is part of my daily life and it has been since our relationship started. I don't have to think about it. I just do it. It is the same for Emily. She's been doing it, I think, since she met you. Everything that she has ever done has been for you, JJ, and you didn't even realize it. She's made sure that you would be taken care of, even when you didn't ask for her to do it. She loves you in a way that only she can and the only way that she knows how. Completely, utterly, madly, and foolishly in love with you, woman, and you never saw it. She can't help herself. Why do you think she named you and Henry as her heirs?"

JJ didn't answer. She didn't know how to. She still couldn't fathom the fact that Emily loved her. It wasn't like she didn't care for Emily. She did. And, she knew that Emily cared for her. But, love? Love wasn't even on her radar. It made sense though on some level. It explained some of Emily's moods and why she left so abruptly. But…JJ had been with Will at the time. She wasn't looking for anything else. She couldn't see what was in front of her.

"We're here," Amelia slated bringing her back to the here and now.

"Let's go."

They boarded the plane. It was packed full of British commandos. JJ watched as Amelia fell asleep. She knew that the flight would be a few hours long, but she didn't know that she could sleep on the way to Jordan. Her brain was trying to process too much information.

"Sleep now, Blackbird. You'll have to time to reason everything else out later. I need you refreshed and ready. Sleep now. Be worried later," Amelia told her, patting her leg and going back to sleep.

JJ stared out the window of the plane over the shoulder of the soldier opposite her. The watched the morning darkness with a new respect. She was trying to watch the clouds as they headed into the sun and towards Arabia. She saw the red glow on the ground as they look off.

"Had to die in style, Captain?" one the sergeants on the plane asked her.

"You know it, Clifford. Couldn't let you guys have all the fun all the time. This will just make easier for the government to acknowledge my involvement and it not start an international incident. I always did like to leave an impression. This way Birmingham will never forget me," Amelia told him with a slight smirk on her mouth, and it made JJ relax just enough to laugh at the joke.

When JJ awoke it was later in the day, it was late morning for her body. She knew that it was later in Jordan. She looked at her watch. It was still on DC time. She never had time to change it. It was just after five am. She knew that her parents were watching Henry for her because she was supposed to be going back with them soon for a mini-vacation. He would be getting up soon for school. She smiled at the thoughts of her son, but it soon faded when they landed. Everything had to be focused on getting Emily back.

Her body reacted as her thoughts shifted gears. Before they disembarked the plane, Amelia had her cover up. They dressed to blend in. They hid their weapons under their clothes and they started the arduous journey to a rendezvous point. She wasn't sure what they were going to do.

They entered the seemingly abandoned building. There was nothing descript about it. She followed Amelia in it. Her senses suddenly became hyper aware of everything around her. She felt the adrenaline coursing through her body. She knew that she had to control her movements and her breathing. She couldn't let herself get overwhelmed.

Amelia took her into a small room. She pointed JJ to a small chair near the wall and she realized that she needed to sit there and be quiet. She was following orders from Amelia until this was over. She knew better than to question her. She took the seat and started to check the gear that she had.

"What do you got?" Amelia asked the operatives that were there.

"We think that she is being held here," one said pointing at a map.

JJ watched them all. They were all very professional. She could tell that they were black ops or deep cover agents for various government agencies. She wasn't trained for all this. Sure she was trained to deal with the press. She could do interviews. She knew how to clear a house or building. But, this was way above her tactical experience. She'd seen hostage situations. She'd done some strange negations when Hotch asked her to, but this was on a whole other level.

"How many inside?"

"We don't have a positive answer on that, Cap, but we've got eyes on the ground. Last count we had over twenty, but that was just individuals. We don't know how many others may already be in there. The twenty that we have identified come and go on the regular."

"So how many are inside now?"

"Those twenty that we know of," the agent replied.

"Okay, we need to go in fast and light. Has anyone talked to the locals and let them know that we would be doing this raid? Do they know we are here?"

"I've got contacts that know. We've been given a green light. Amman police will show up after we're done and claim the scene. It's been set up."

"And the story?"

"Terrorist cell taken out."

"Easy enough, but we'll have to go in without. I won't stay for the aftermath. You all will have to deal with the cleanup. This is a pure snatch and grab rescue. Anyone in that facility that wants to surrender may and will be taken in for questioning."

"Agreed."

"Any hostile activity warrants contact. Shoot to kill men. There will be no second shot, understood? They have taken one of our own and we don't know why."

"The subject is an agent?" another soldier asked.

"She is. And, a damn fine one at that. She was abducted while undercover on an op in Germany. Now we are here. There is possible terrorist crossover with this group, so feel free to go digging once we are inside. I have one objective and that is my agent."

"Understood, ma'am."

"Now, call sign Blackbird and I will assault with two men from the front. It looks like there is a roof top access, here," she said pointing at the pictures of the warehouse on the table. "You will assault from here. This way they are prepared for you and not us. Once you start the assault, we will do ours. Clear the building. Anything that you find that is good intel secure. Do not, I repeat, do not let the locals get ahold of it where they can crush it. If you think it needs to go higher, keep it."

"We head in two groups. One from the south and one from the west, and we'll rally at this point. By the time we make it there, you should be at the contact. We've managed to get eyes inside. They were brief but it was enough. The first floor is a legit business. The second floor is offices, but it opens to the warehouse floor, here. That is where you want to go. The warehouse has been split up into multiple sections. There is one section that no one but three individuals go in and as far we know they don't leave the building."

"Do you know their names?" JJ asked, suddenly keenly aware of the situation.

When no one responded quickly enough, Amelia asked, "Did you not hear her?"

"Sorry, ma'am," the agent replied to Amelia. "No, ma'am we don't. We have gotten word on a man named Ibrahim El-Anwar. No one knows who he is or what he does. I am not even sure that he exists outside of word of mouth. There is word that a torture expert is there, too."

"His name," JJ commanded.

"Tahir Tahrif ibn Safi Khalid," the man said.

"Virtuous corruption, the son of purity eternal?" Amelia asked.

"I don't get it," the agent replied.

"His name is a Muslim oxymoron. His name is literally means that he is the son of purity eternal, but he is virtuousness corrupted. His name isn't real. No true Muslim would call himself Tahrif."

"Why is that?" JJ asked her.

"Because it means more than corruption. It means more of the corruption of the Quran. To call himself that means that he doesn't see himself as an agent of Allah. He is above it."

"I need to make a call," JJ told her, standing and coming over the table to stare at the maps and other photos spread out on the table.

She saw the panicked look in her eyes, but she knew that Garcia could find more on these two names faster. They didn't have time. They needed help. She looked at Amelia as she handed her a satellite phone.

"Be quick. We go in thirty minutes. Get your answers and get them fast."

"I will."

She looked at the phone for a split second. She knew Garcia's number by heart. She called her enough, but she wondered if it would work. She hoped that it would or that Garcia was smart enough to reroute all incoming calls to her there in London, either to another cell or to her computer. She took a deep breath and dialed.

"Technical Analyst Garcia, how can I help you?" she answered and JJ thanked whoever was listening upstairs for hearing her prayers as she hoped they would continue to do.

"Garcia, I need your help," JJ told her.

"Kitten? Where are you? Hotch is beyond worried. He is threatening your badge."

"Garcia, I need your help," JJ repeated.

"He is….okay, go."

"I need you to find out all the information that you can on two men. One is named Ibrahim El-Anwar or some variation thereof. The other one goes by Tahir Tahrif ibn Safi Khalid. I don't have much time and I can't stay on this line. I'll call you back in twenty minutes. Can you do that for me? Can you give me twenty minutes?"

"JJ, you know I'll do anything for you. But, I need to know something first. I'll get your info and I'll hide it from Hotch if I have to, but where are you?"

"I'm in the Middle East and that is all I can tell."

"Do you know where Emily is?"

"I do," JJ replied.

"You're gonna bring her back, right?"

"That's the plan."

"Okay, Kitten, twenty minutes and you better call back."

"I will, Garcia. I will. I love you too much not to," JJ told her.

"Then you can explain this letter when you get back. Twenty minutes. I'm out."

She stood there looking at Amelia. She knew that she wasn't happy, but they needed the information. Twenty minutes should be enough time for them to finish planning the assault and Garcia to give her the information.

"You told her too much," Amelia stated.

"Wasn't on the phone long enough for her to trace it. I told her enough to get what we need. But, right now, I am not worried about that."

"Then, what are you worried about Blackbird?" Amelia asked her.

"You've got twenty minutes to teach me how to use that," JJ told her pointing to the SA80.

"Want a bigger gun?"

"I like to keep the odds in our favor," JJ replied.

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking that you have something to lose. You're already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." Steve Jobs


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"There will one day spring from the brain of science a machine or force so fearful in its potentialities, so absolutely terrifying, that even man, the fighter, who will dare torture and death in order to inflict torture and death, will be appalled, and so abandon war forever." Thomas Alva Edison

JJ wiped the sweat from her eyes. She sun was beating down on them and it was just after one o'clock. They were in position and waiting for the others get there as well. She was prepared to storm the breech and find Emily. There was nothing else on her mind.

She held the SA80 in her hands. It felt odd, large, bulky and heavy. She wasn't used to carrying something so big, but she knew that it gave her a better chance as they cleared the building. She grabbed at the plate carrier to make sure that it wouldn't move when she did. She checked her pockets for magazines already loaded. She knew that she wasn't going to have time to wonder things were when she needed them in the heat of the moment.

Today she didn't have the back up of SWAT. Today she was SWAT. Today, she was going to be one of the first ones in the building. The hunt was over. She had the objective in sight.

"Bravo two, set," a voice came over the comm.

She let out a breath and relaxed. She knew that this was going to be hard for her. She knew that Amelia would kill anyone that got in their way. She hadn't been shy about that fact.

"Ready?" Amelia asked her.

"Yeah," she replied just about a whisper.

"Stay with me. I know where I am going. Stay to the right, got it?"

"I got it."

"She'll be fine," Amelia told her.

"I know."

"You did the right thing in calling Garcia. We got more intel and she got us better blueprints. We know everything that we need to know. In a few minutes, we are going in. We've got this."

"I know," JJ replied.

JJ felt her body relaxing. Her FBI training was taking over. It had been years since she had to go through Hogan's Alley on an assault team. This was no different. This was just an exercise with a tangible goal. Emily was the prize at the end of the exercise. Defeat wasn't an option.

As she relaxed and went over the operation in her head, she remember back just twenty minutes ago when she called Garcia back. She had waited the allotted time and called back as promised. She wasn't sure if she was actually going to get Garcia or if Hotch was going to answer the phone. She had been watching the others preparing to go when she called.

_"Garcia, tell me something good," she said when the call was answered on the first ring._

_"Well, I found out about the ick factor you asked me for."_

_"And?"_

_"It seems that Ibrahim was in Rome when Emily was younger. They went to the same school. His father was some sort of politician. I am not sure in what capacity he knew Emily, but their parents were at least in the same circles."_

_"What else?"_

_"He seems to have gone off the deep end sometime after Emily left. I don't know if they are related but he has been doing everything that he could to get close to the Ambassador. It seems that he never got what he wanted. He was denied a job at every turn. She didn't want him."_

_"He wanted to work for Elizabeth? As what? Was he in qualified?" JJ asked._

_"That's the question. I don't know. Elizabeth stated that she's never heard of him. She has no clue who he is unless he is the son of Omari El-Anwar."_

_"Is he?"_

_"He is, but it seems that the good Prince Omari El-Anwar et cetera et cetera dis owned him while he was in college. It seems he shamed the family by having a child out of wedlock. Daddy wasn't too happy about it and cut him off," Garcia told her._

_"And, the child?"_

_"Never found. There was never any proof that it was his. It seems that the mother claimed the child was another man's. This seemed to set off Ibrahim. He joined various groups in order to gather intelligence. He has been a low level officer for many of the short lived terrorist groups based in Egypt and Europe. Every time one goes down, he moves and gets out."_

_"And, no one has taken him out, yet?" JJ asked._

_"He isn't considered dangerous. He doesn't do any of the planning. If he does anything, he helps with fund raising only, using his name and burning more bridges than Madison County has. He has no real friends and those that would have helped him want nothing to do with him."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"He started searching for leads on Emily by harassing the Ambassador. It seems that his dad found out through a mutual friend and Ibrahim became person no grata for all of his old contacts. Somewhere along the way he picked up his friend Tahrif."_

_"So who is he?"_

_"Well, from what I can tell Tahrif isn't his real name. It is Arabic for corruption. He has taken this name because of what he does. But, due to the many accounts of him being all of the Middle East, I don't think that he is one man. I think that it is a name that men take when they do things that they know is in direct violation of the Quran. Tahir Tahrif is just the latest incarnation."_

_"What else do you have Garcia?"_

_"He is possibly there against his will. It seems that Mr. El-Anwar has been collecting people to do his bidding. He was more than likely given the name to invoke fear in the rest of the crew. No one can seem to place him and no one knows any Tahrif named Tahir. This guy is most likely local. I've run the names Tahir, Khalid and Safi and got bupkis. I am sorry, kitten."_

_"No, thanks for everything, Garcia. You've given us more to go on. Is there anything else?"_

_"Yeah, I kinda did a thing."_

_"A thing?" JJ asked._

_"Yeah, a thing. I know you are in Jordan. I found the building you are planning on hitting. I'm sending you some better and updated plans. I hope they help you."_

_"Thank you," JJ replied bewildered but not daring to ask how she'd found out about that._

_"Look, JJ. I am worried about you and Emily. Hotch is beside himself that he didn't see what you were doing when he realized that Amelia wasn't here. He thinks that he should have known. He is angry with you, but he hasn't had time to process it."_

_"Do I dare ask why?"_

_"He sent Morgan, Rossi, Mac and Reid to Germany. They are in Landshut and have no idea that you are in Jordan. JJ, he doesn't know why they are in Germany now if you are in Jordan."_

_"They are going after the terrorist cell that Emily was investigating. Ibrahim got into them somehow. We need to know what he was really after. Get Hotch to try that angle. It had to be more than that. Emily would have been a strange thing for him to focus on and use terrorist cell to get to her. Certainly there would have been a better way to get close to her again."_

_"I'll put that bug in his ear. But, kitten, you better bring the Princess back or Hotch might have your badge. I am doing my best to keep him calm, but I got to tell you that between your letter, Elizabeth's nonchalance about y'all being gone, and the arrival of Diana Swift his head might explode. Just hurry up and bring Princess back to London. I don't want to think about what those two are doing to her."_

_"I know," JJ told her hanging up._

_"She got plans for us?" Amelia asked._

_"Yeah, she did."_

_"How?"_

_"I've learned not to ask and just roll with it. It's safer. You never know what Garcia is going to do, so it is better to not piss her off," JJ replied._

_"Remind me to get her something pretty later," Amelia stated, pulling the charging handle on the SA80 she was carrying._

"On my count," Amelia said into her mic.

JJ looked at her and nodded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was now or never.

On Amelia's count, they stormed the building. She could hear the other two teams on the roof as they made their assault. She stayed on Amelia's six as they went in the side door. It was the closet to their objective. They weren't worried about causalities, except on their end.

As they came to the second floor and the location where they figure Emily was being held, she realized that Amelia hadn't sugarcoated her words. She fired on every individual as they cleared the hall. She didn't wait to identify herself. She took aim and fired, stepping over bodies as she made her way to the small warehouse floor that Garcia had identified as being recently updated and having strange heat signatures from her satellite surveillance.

JJ wondered if they were doing the right thing in killing the soldiers that were following Ibrahim as they made their way through the hallway. When she looked down at the bodies, she noticed the arms in their hands. They had been waiting on them. She was no longer worried. They were justified. They needed to get Emily out of their and they needed to move quickly. They didn't have time to cuff everyone.

As they rounded the corner to the main hallway that led to a small concrete room in the back of the second floor, JJ finally fired. She saw the man coming out of a room that Amelia didn't. She took aim and fired before she thought about it. She knew that it might bother her later, but for now, she could say that she was defending a teammate. She was engaging the enemy as they were trying to kill her and the rest. This wasn't an exercise. This was real. The bullets were real. The blood was real. The threat was real.

As they got closer, they ending up bogged down in a room across the hall way from a large metal door. They could hear Arabic being shouted and men kept coming from random doors. They would take them down as fast as they could.

"Where are they coming from?" JJ asked over the din of firing.

"I don't know," Amelia told her, before keying her mic. "Bravo, status."

"Clearing our way down. I think they knew we were coming. Something tipped them off."

"No time to speculate on that now. Take them down and get to the rally point. Delta, what's your location?"

"We have the perimeter cleared. I have medivac on stand-by. Awaiting orders."

"Hold on medivac. Rally point Alpha needs to have medics on hand. We are about to hit the objective. Everyone maintain your objectives. Delta, make sure that we are the only ones leaving. Blackbird and I are about to take the package."

"Roger that, Cap," Bravo leader replied.

"Affirmative," Delta leader stated.

She turned and looked at JJ. She slung her SA80 over her shoulder. She pulled out a silencer and screwed it into the Glock 17. She took out another one and handed it to JJ. JJ attached it without question.

"You ready?"

"Yes."

"Remember, no matter what, we get Emily and we get out. Whoever else is in there with her isn't our concern. We know what Ibrahim and Tahrif look like. They will not hesitate to attack us and I have no doubt that they want us dead. Now, is not the time to grow a conscious."

"I understand," JJ answered slinging her rifle too.

They slowly made their way to the metal door. They could hear he screams from inside. They were decidedly female and decidedly Emily's. JJ saw red. She didn't care whatever else happened today. She would make Ibrahim pay for what he'd done to Emily.

They burst through the door. JJ went right and Amelia went left. Before they got in the room, a man with curly hair came at them. JJ didn't hesitate. She fired twice and he fell. Amelia stepped around JJ and over him as she entered the room. JJ stayed right and cleared the room.

She saw Emily hanging from a chain in the middle of the room. She heard two shots and turned to see Ibrahim on the floor. She grabbed the wench remote and lowered her to the ground. She caught her as her body sank towards the floor. She could tell that Emily was fighting to stay conscious. Her eyes couldn't focus on JJ, but she smiled.

"Amelia?" Ibrahim asked.

JJ held Emily as Amelia knelt down in front of him. She felt Emily turn to face him and saw the grimace on her face. Amelia looked back at them quizzically and then back at him.

"Amelia, finally I meet you," he told her as he lay there dying.

Amelia just shook her head and turned back to JJ and Emily. She stood up and walked over to them. Amelia could see a look of recognition in her defeated eyes.

"Emily?" JJ said trying to get her to focus on her.

She needed to know that Emily was going to be okay. She knew that they needed to ascertain her injuries before they moved her. Emily wouldn't turn and look back at JJ. She kept staring at Ibrahim and then Amelia. She didn't look at JJ. Then, suddenly her eyes began to close.

"Emily stay with me," JJ told her, brushing Emily's hair out her face.

Emily didn't move. Her breathing became more shallow. She knew that wasn't good.

"Don't you do this to me. Don't you die on me. Don't you dare die on me," JJ said.

Emily opened her eyes. They met ones so like her own. There was a recognition there.

"Amelia?" she asked with a voice she didn't know she had.

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. I'm here. We've got you. You're safe. Just stay awake for me, okay?"

"We need to move," JJ told her.

"I'll carry her. You get us to the hospital. I'll flash a badge or two if I have to. Just get me to the hospital, JJ," Amelia told her.

"Stay with us, Prentiss. Don't you dare give up on me. I haven't given up on you."

Amelia picked her up in a fireman carry. She knew that it couldn't feel good for Emily to be in that position but they needed to move. JJ stepped out in front of her. She'd holstered the Glock, tossing the silencer in to a cargo pocket. She pulled the SA80 back around to the front and she led the way back down the corridor.

They stopped at a blind corner. Amelia readjusted Emily on her shoulders with a grunt from both of them. JJ turned back to stare in Amelia's eyes. She wouldn't show the strain. She was going the bear the pain of carrying her mother out of that hellhole. She could see the determination in her eyes. She raised her right hand, still holding her Glock and nodded. JJ knew what it meant. She nodded back.

JJ looked around the corner quickly. She gave Amelia a thumbs up and then headed around the corner. Amelia followed her. They both moved slowly through the building. As they neared the front door, JJ noticed that all the bodies that had been left were gone. She almost questioned it until someone opened fire on them.

"Is that…"

"Those are not friendlies," Amelia stated, moving closer to the wall in order to protect Emily.

"Gotcha," JJ said.

She took cover behind a filing cabinet and table. She looked through the scope. She engaged each target and neutralized each one in turn. She didn't even think about it.

"Clear!" JJ shouted.

"We need to go. We need to get her to a hospital ASAP. She won't answer me."

"Let's go," JJ said, stepping out from her spot behind cover and they made their way to the front door.

They exited the building and made their way to the truck waiting on them. JJ jumped in the passenger seat after she helped Amelia and Emily into the back. The driver waited just a few seconds before he was flying towards the hospitals down town.

"Which one?"

"Go to Queen Alia Military Hospital. I have an old friend that in the ER that will help us. We need to get there. I'll call him and let him know that we are on the way."

Amelia pulled out a satellite phone. She punched in some numbers. She rattled off some Arabic and pointed towards the building ahead of them. The driver made the appropriate signals. She hung up on that call and made another one. This was in Arabic, too. JJ looked at her expectantly as she hung up from the last call.

When they got to the hospital, Amelia picked her up again and burst through the doors. She screamed at some nurses in Arabic until a gurney was brought around and Emily was settled upon it. Then she wouldn't let it go until the doctor appeared. In all the commotion, JJ didn't realize that they had gained an armed audience.

As the doctor and other medical personal took Emily away, Amelia turned around. She saw the guards and soldiers there waiting for an explanation. She spoke with the commanding officer in Arabic. She walked over to JJ.

"We need to go stow the weapons in the vehicle. Doctor Rajiya El-Amin is in charge of Emily's care. We'll go outside, park near the main entrance and then meet her in surgical wing's waiting room. She'll be fine, JJ, but we need to move out of here before they arrest us for brandishing weapons in a government facility," Amelia told her, taking her by the arm and leading her out of the ER.

Once they were outside, JJ finally broke. The events of the day and the events leading up to the day had finally caught up to her. She fell on her knees beside the van as Amelia stowed their gear. Being that they were in a foreign country, she didn't know what to expect. Amelia checked their weapons and then put the Glock in the small of JJ's back. She stripped her of the webbed belt and plate carrier, tossing them into the van. She grabbed an extra magazine and put it in JJ's right cargo pocket, where she found the silencer.

"Just in case," she said patting the pocket.

JJ just nodded. It was all too much. She wasn't trained for this. She was a profiler and communications liaison. She wasn't a commando or spy. This wasn't something that she would ever do in the FBI. Suddenly, her stomach revolted.

Amelia just held her hair and rubbed her back as she emptied what little was in her stomach. She didn't know what to say to JJ. She thought that with her time in Afghanistan that something like today wouldn't get to her. Obviously she was wrong.

"It's okay, JJ. Just let it go. Let me know when you're ready to go and we'll go find out about Emily," Amelia told her.

JJ stood up. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She met Amelia's dark brown eyes, then turned and spit. When she turned back around, Amelia was holding a bottle of water.

"Take your time, Blackbird. It's over. We got her out. Now, we just need to get her better so we can get her home."

They made their way to the hospital and up to the surgical floor. Dr. El-Amin was already waiting on them when they came in. Her eyes met Amelia and JJ's. She led them away from the waiting room and to an empty office.

"This is not how I wanted to see you again, Aims."

"Trust me when I say that this isn't what I wanted either."

"How is she?" JJ asked them.

"She has a concussion, multiple bruises on her face and body, her wrist is broken. She is lucky. Her ribs are bruised, but two are cracked. Thankfully there is no internal bleeding. Her left eye is swollen shut. I won't know for a while if she's lost any sight. She took one hell of beating."

"That she did," Amelia replied.

"She was tortured. Her arms and wrists are going to be really sore. I think that he might have used water on her. Her lungs aren't completely clear and I put her on oxygen. We've started antibiotics to make sure that she doesn't developed an infection. I've given her some pain killers. They'll keep her out for a while."

"When can we move her?" Amelia asked her.

"I really wouldn't for at least two to three days. She is not fit to fly. Her concussion is bad. Aims, I don't know what happened to her, but she can't go anywhere until at least tomorrow. I won't sign off on it. I can't. She needs the rest."

"We need to get out of here, Raj. I can't keep her here. She isn't safe."

"I understand that, Aims. I really do, but I have a question for you. Are you willing to risk her health in order to save your life? Because, I am not," Dr. El-Amin stated. "Give me at least until morning. Have your plane waiting. I'll get you an armed escort out of here."

Amelia looked at the clock on the wall. She turned to study JJ. They needed to get out of Jordan. They needed to go, but she couldn't…wouldn't risk Emily now. She had her mother and that was all that mattered. She'd fight heaven and earth if she had to, but she wasn't going to lose Emily again.

Dr. El-Amin could see that she was pondering the situation. She knew that if Emily was moved it would aggravate her injuries. Her concussion would be the most painful thing for her in flying. She needed rest. She needed pain killers and time.

"I'll get a guard on the door. You can stay here. There is a shower in her room. I'll get you some clothes. Aims, don't worry. I'll take care of her. You take of yourself. Give me until eight o'clock. I'll call Mehmed. He'll get you out. I promise."

"Mehmed?"

"You didn't think that he left the guard, did you?" Dr. El-Amin asked her, leaving them.

"You had choice: you could either strain and look at things that appeared in front of you in the fog, painful as it might be, or you could relax and lose yourself." Ken Kasey


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"The strength of a family, like the strength of an army, is in its loyalty to each other." Mario Puzo

Hotch stood and stared at the screens that Garcia had running. Every single possible trail was on them and they still had nothing. All they had was Landshut and it was a bust. Interpol had already rounded up the terrorist cell when Emily didn't report in on time. They had enough to get them all. They would turn them over to the German authorities for prosecution.

Rossi and Morgan were still trying to figure out what happened. Reid was studying the drop site but nothing seemed to point them in any direction. They were all at a loss.

When Morgan had called to tell them what he saw, he was upset to learn that Hotch hadn't gotten anywhere with the chatter. They were going over everything that they had. They were still at loss. He was still trying process JJ and Amelia being off somewhere and without any true back up that they knew about.

He was still studying the chatter when Garcia got the call from JJ. He heard the sound in Garcia's voice when she answered it. It wasn't a normal call. Then he heard what Garcia said to her. There was something off.

"Kitten? Where are you? Hotch is beyond worried. He is threatening your badge."

He stood up. His entire posture changed. He crossed the room quickly. He was beside Garcia. She looked up at him while she started to talk to JJ. He wrote on a pad for her to trace the call and get whatever JJ needed.

"He is….okay, go," Garcia told her.

She grabbed the pad from Hotch. She began writing down names. Hotch waited until she had them down before he grabbed the sheet and one of the other officers to start looking for intel.

"JJ, you know I'll do anything for you. But, I need to know something first. I'll get your info and I'll hide it from Hotch if I have to, but where are you?"

Hotch nodded. He knew that Garcia was tracing the call and trying to keep JJ on the phone as long as she could. He also knew that JJ knew he would try it. He wondered how long he actually had before JJ hung up.

"Do you know where Emily is?" Garcia asked her.

He saw Garcia smile. He knew that JJ and Amelia had to have found something that they had missed. Or, Amelia made sure they had missed it. He knew that JJ had the skills because of her time in the DOD and DOJ at the Pentagon, but he would never believe that she would be subversive against her own team unless it was a means for survival or protection.

"You're gonna bring her back, right?"

JJ had a plan. They were probably hours away from executing it. He could only wish that they were there with them. He needed to call Morgan. He needed to find a way to get them to her. Emily needed them all now, not just part of the team. JJ knew that. She was given him an olive branch and as much information as she dared. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. He just didn't know what it was.

"Okay, Kitten, twenty minutes and you better call back."

He has twenty minutes to figure this out or he may never see JJ or Prentiss again. He pulled up a map with Germany. They couldn't still be there. His mind was in overdrive. What had he missed? What was there that he couldn't see?

"Then you can explain this letter when you get back. Twenty minutes. I'm out," Garcia told her with her usual flare as to not raise any suspension with JJ.

"Well?" Hotch asked as soon as she hung up.

"She knew I was going to trace her. She told me that she was in the Middle East, but she wouldn't narrow it down further. Whoever those two guys are they have Emily. That's the missing link between Germany and wherever JJ is," Garcia told him.

"How did she sound?"

"Rushed, but calm. She's upset but she's hiding it. She's worried about Emily and right now that is driving her. She isn't thinking about you or the team. She needs the intel on those guys and wherever she is, she can't get it," Garcia told him.

"What do you got?"

"Ibrahim El-Anwar and Tahir Tahrif ibn Safi Khalid."

"What do we know?"

"Nothing, I've got some stuff on El-Anwar, but the other guy is a ghost," Garcia told him.

"You won't find anything on him either," Diana told them, sitting up from the chair she'd been lounging in.

Her words brought Elizabeth into the conversation. Hotch studied her. He stared at her.

"You're former…" he started.

"It doesn't matter. But, yes, I am. Aimee is in the Middle East, most likely Jordan. The man you are seeking, Tahir Tahrif ibn Safi Khalid. He doesn't exist. It is a title. Part of the name maybe real so he can retain part of his identity, but a Tahrif is not someone that the Arabs are going to hand over to you. They will want to kill him first."

"Why?"

"He is called the 'Corrupter.' It is his job. But, he doesn't follow the Quran or any other religious affiliation. He is a loner, but more than likely was recruited by Mr. El-Anwar."

"El-Anwar, Omar or one of his sons?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ibrahim," Garcia replied.

"That sonuvabitch!"

"Ambassador?" Hotch questioned.

"He knows Emily. They were in school together in Rome. He's been trying to get me to get him a job as a translator or something with the Embassies. He's not qualified and he wouldn't pass the background check," Elizabeth explained.

"There's his stressor. How well does he know Prentiss? Do we know?"

"He was obsessed with her. When I sent her back to the States, he was always finding reasons to come visit with his father while I was still in Rome. When I was transferred to France, Omar had to keep him on a leash. He tried to follow. He was warned and seemed to stop. I hadn't thought about him in over twenty years. Why now? Why Emily?"

"Aimee said that they had been compromised, both of them," Diana added.

"He thinks that he is Amelia's father?" Elizabeth asked them.

"It would fit. And, if he does, he won't touch Amelia. He wants her to know him. JJ on the other hand and Emily would be seen as something trying to stop him. He won't let that happen. For whatever reason, he wants to know Amelia. He thinks that he could be the father and now, he is willing to risk an international incident just to meet her. Why? Garcia, dig into his background, everything, medical, dental, even his pets names if you can get it."

"On it as fast as I can," Garcia told him.

"You have eighteen minutes."

Garcia began furiously typing. She had program after program digging into El-Anwar life. While she was digging, Elizabeth was up pacing. Diana was sitting, surprisingly calm. This not only unnerved Hotch, he wanted to know why.

"What else do you know?" Hotch asked her.

"They are in Jordan. Amman, actually, and they aren't alone. She caught a flight early this morning. That phone call was her way of letting you know that JJ was alive and what they were after. Make no mistakes about this Agent Hotchner. Amelia is going to kill them all and bring her home. It is what she does. She is a cleaner. She is a deep cover operative. She is good and she is proficient at the game. I don't know why she took JJ but I can guarantee that they have a team with them. She isn't going to let it look like a snatch and grab. I would turn on the news. CNN and BBC World will be covering the story soon."

"They erased her in Birmingham?"

"She died a hero's death today. Amelia Benton died due to a singular terrorist attack. There will be swift justice and whatever happens in Jordan today will be that. Jordanian officials will go along with it and will even help with the clean-up. You see, Agent Hotchner, she didn't need you or your team. You were called in because of wish on Emily's part."

"Which was?"

"Part of the Churchill protocol. She enacted her final contingency plan. Mac and Easter knew it as soon as she made the phone call to Interpol, but they didn't know what it meant. Aimee did. She helped her write it. This isn't a simple snatch and grab rescue, Agent. This is covering up cover ups and hoping to get out alive. Whatever information that Ibrahim has, it's damning."

"It looks like he was trying to sell the names of undercover operatives in the Middle East and Arabic neighborhoods of Europe. He was going to give it to highest bidder," Garcia told them.

"He is a diplomat's son. He has access to files through his father. He knows how to play politics. He knew what he was doing," Elizabeth stated.

"Except Daddy's cut him off for lewd behavior. Oh, and something about a tumor. According to a local newsletter, Omar cut off his oldest son, Ibrahim for acting out against the community. He couldn't be controlled anymore. When they found out that he a brain tumor, they sent him to King Hussein Hospital in Jordan for treatment. They couldn't help him."

"There's the connection to Amman," Hotch stated. "Garcia, keep digging. I'm going to get Rossi, Morgan and Mac on their way to Amman. I'm bringing Reid home. He can help go through all this mess and make sense of it. How much time do we have?"

"A little over ten minutes," Garcia replied.

"Will she call back?"

"She said she would."

"Then, we'll go with that. Keep on that angle," he told her and then turned to both Elizabeth and Diana. "Thank you for telling me. Now, we bring them all home."

Hotch rubbed his face. He could feel the stress leaving him. They finally had the answers to the questions that they hadn't realized to ask. There was so much about this situation that didn't make sense and the more they dug, the more they realized that they didn't know. Germany wasn't a false lead. There had just been nothing there to lead them to Ibrahim. He wasn't sure how Amelia made the connection but for now he was happy that she had. She'd found Prentiss.

"How much longer?" he asked Garcia.

"Until she calls back?"

"Yes," he replied, clipped, but the usual stress was missing.

"Any minute now," Garcia answered.

"Tell her everything we know now. She needs to know what she is up against. If she called before, she is looking for a reason to go in. We already know that Amelia has found her. This means that they are planning on getting her out and fast. How soon until Morgan and Rossi are in Amman?"

"With the flight curtesy of Interpol, about four hours."

"So, they'll be there after the operation is over. Lilly, find out who Amelia contacted for clean-up. I want my guys in that warehouse. I want to know everything that JJ knows. Can you get them to hold the scene for me?"

"I'll do what I can, but if she's got the Jordanians involved I don't know how much we can recover. They aren't going to want it know that they were harboring a terrorist, much less someone that tortures. They are an ally and it would blemish their reputation," Lilly told him.

"Then make sure that they know we don't care. We need to find out more about this Ibrahim and Tahrif. It could help out on the GWOT. Explain to them that we won't hold them accountable and that we need the information so that we can make sure that it doesn't happen again. Once we've compiled our information we will be sure to share it with them so they know what to look for in the future, in case some of their citizens decide to terrorize for the sake of Islam."

"I'll do my best," she told him.

"That is all I ever want," Hotch said and Garcia's phone rang.

He nodded to her as she answered. She gave her everything they had. He could tell by the way that Garcia was talking to her that JJ was absorbing it all. He was glad when she didn't tell JJ that Morgan and Rossi were on their way.

He looked at the clock. They needed to keep JJ on the phone just a few seconds longer and Garcia would have the trace on the phone. Garcia knew that it was important and she kept talking. The longer she kept her on the phone the closer, the closer she got to narrowing down a GPS coordinate on the phone. Once she had that, she could tag it and use it to find JJ in Amman.

"Kitten, can't you just tell me where you are?" Garcia begged her.

They were closing in on her. She knew that JJ must have known. She'd been through many trap and trace calls before. Hotch was wondering if she was staring at her watch and getting ready to hang up. He looked at his watch. _A few more seconds, _he thought to himself.

"I know that, JJ. Be careful. And, don't think that I have forgotten about the letter you gave me. That is not the way you tell me something like that, Missy. I expect you to tell me to my face. Don't do anything stupid. I spoil him, but he is your son," Garcia said.

Hotch knew that the letter was a sort of a last will. He understood why Garcia had been so upset when she read it. JJ had given Henry to her to raise in a sort of joint custody with Reid. She knew that Reid would teach him everything that he could and they would both spoil him like they always did. But, most importantly he would be loved by family. A family that JJ had chosen to be in and that didn't question her loyalty, her faith in them, or her decisions. He was part of that family just as much as Prentiss was.

He sighed. He looked at his watch and then at Garcia. She gave him a thumbs up. At least, they had a location on JJ at the moment.

"I understand that, JJ, but you're my best friend. You didn't think that I was going to give up on you that easily, did you? …Good. Yeah, I got it…my favorite chocolate thunder and grumpy will be there in a few hours…No, the good doctor won't be coming…You want me to keep him here. I will do my best, but when he hears that you saved her, he'll…I understand. I'll let Hotch know. You'd better call me as soon as you get her out. We'll be waiting. Be safe."

She hung up and turned to face Hotch. He could see it on her face. JJ didn't think it was going to be good. They were all worried about Tahrif, the Corrupter and what he would have done to Prentiss while she was in his care. She typed something on the computer and then a satellite feed came up on one of the screens. The screen next to it had a map of Amman on it.

"What is it, Garcia?" he asked her.

"They are assaulting the warehouse in ten minutes. She knew we were tracing that time. She'd hoped on it. She clued me into that fact while we were talking. She waited until she knew I had a lock on the sat phone she was using."

"You've got coordinates?"

"On the screen, sir," she told him.

He could see a blip blinking. He sighed. They had her. They knew exactly where she was.

"Get me everything on that. Commandeer a satellite. Find their frequency. I want to know what's going on as it is happening."

"On it, sir," Lilly and Garcia both said.

Seconds later, they could hear the operation as it was unfolding. Amelia knew that they would be watched. Part of MI-5 and some members of the SAS were with them in the assault. It would be only a matter of time before Hotch found them and she knew it. She just needed enough time to get the operation in place without any outside influence. He wondered why she was so dead set against using their help, but now that he saw the proficiency in which she worked he understood. They would have held her back. Time was against them and she was used to doing this kind of operation.

"Bring my family home, Amelia. All of them and only slightly damaged and I'll forgive all of this," he said to the screen. "Just bring them home."

He watched as they assaulted the warehouse. He figured out where she and JJ were and followed their movements over the hacked satellite feed. They didn't have any camera on the ground so they were relying on heat signatures from the satellite feed and the chatter over their comm system. He watched as the green dots moved around the screens. He watched as some dimmed in corners of rooms, but it didn't seem that any of the assault team had been hit.

"We've got the package," Amelia stated over the line.

Everyone in the war room lost it. Elizabeth, Diana and Garcia were crying. They'd found Emily and they were going to get her out of there. Hotch stared at the screen. He didn't like what he saw. Garcia saw it, too. Lilly saw it, gasped and her smile fell.

"Get someone there to get them out," Hotch said.

Lilly was already on the phone. More men were storming in from the front. The way that JJ and Amelia had already cleared and they didn't know it. They were going to have to fight their way out. It was just then that a comm signal broke through.

"Is that…" he heard JJ start to ask.

"Those are not friendlies," Amelia replied.

"Gotcha," JJ said.

Hotch listened to them. He knew that JJ had keyed her mic on purpose. She was letting them hear it. She needed someone to know this part of the story. She needed to know that they were getting her out and helping as much as they could half a world away.

"Clear!" JJ shouted.

"We need to go. We need to get her to a hospital ASAP. She won't answer me."

Hotch watched as Elizabeth and Garcia's face dropped. Emily had stopped responding and it was enough to worry Amelia. He wondered what they were going to do.

"Let's go," JJ said the worry evident in her voice.

He could see them moving to a vehicle. Garcia locked on to it and made sure that the satellite would follow it. He was about to lose them now.

"Which one?" a new voice asked.

"Go to Queen Alia Military Hospital. I have an old friend that in the ER that will help us. We need to get there. I'll call him and let him know that we are on the way," they heard Amelia say and then the comm went dead.

"Garcia?"

"Lost the comm feed, sir, but not the visual. I'm already on the hospital. I'll upload the information to Rossi and Morgan as soon as I have it."

"Good job, Garcia."

"Thank you, sir."

"And, Garcia?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Do a thing and get us to Amman, will you?" he asked her.

"Yes, my liege, but for how many?"

He looked over at Elizabeth and Diana. He looked at Lilly and Pettigrew. He looked back at the screen and then over to Garcia.

"Just make sure the jet is ready. We are all going and we are all coming back. Get another jet on standby. I don't care whose it is, but it better be ready to go when we are."

"Got it, sir."

"And, Garcia?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Call JJ and let her know that she did a job well done."

He left the room with a smile on his face. The mission was a success. Emily had been found. She was hurt, but she was still alive. He also knew that she was too stubborn to die. They would see in her in the hospital in Amman. Today had been a good day.

He made his way upstairs into the room that Elizabeth had given him. He collapsed on the bed. The stress of the day finally over. His family would be okay. They had survived another crisis and they would be better for it. He pulled out his cell phone and called the one person that always helped him stay grounded and helped him find his focus again.

"Hey, Jack. How are you? … Sleep well? … Good. Be good at school. I should be home in a few days…Yeah, we can do that when I get home…I love you, too, buddy…Bye."

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof." Richard Bach


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Some lose all mind and become soul, insane. Some lose all soul and become mind, intellectual. Some lose both and become accepted." Bukowski

JJ couldn't remember falling asleep, but she had. She woke up and someone was holding her hand. She turned to see who it was and found Garcia sitting next to her. She smiled.

"I am so mad at you right now," Garcia told her.

"I know," JJ replied.

"But, I am also so happy to see you," Garcia stated.

JJ looked around the room. She saw the hospital had brought extra chairs for them all. She wasn't surprised to see Elizabeth sitting next to the bed holding Emily's hand. She was surprised that her entire team was there. She was happy they were there, but she still didn't know what Hotch was going to do her tor her stunt with Amelia. That's when she saw Amelia sitting next to Elizabeth with Diana on her other side.

They were a strange family, separated by miles and politics, but somehow they always managed it come together when they were needed for each other. No one could question their loyalties. And, no one would ever keep them apart again. Amelia had proven herself not only to Elizabeth but to Emily as well. They would get their family back and they would fight to keep it.

JJ watched as nurses came and went. She would look at Emily and watch as pain would cover her face. Amelia or Elizabeth would press a button and she would relax as the pain meds took over in her blood stream. She felt useless. Suddenly she needed air.

She stood up. She was out of the room before anyone could stop her. Derek stood to follow her, but Amelia stopped him at the door.

"She needs time, love," Amelia told him.

"She needs Emily," he replied.

"I'll go talk to her," Amelia stated.

"She needs her family. She needs us. She needs to know that we understand."

"She does know that, Derek. She does. She's been through this before. What she needs right now is to know that once we get Emily back to London is that things will be okay. She's seen things that she can't un-see. She's done things that she isn't proud of on this mission. She needs to know that she can come back from this."

"She did after Afghanistan."

"That was different. This is different. This was a tactical op. Something that she has never trained for. She had to leave you behind because she knew that it was the best thing she could do to get Emily back. She hurt you and in doing so hurt herself. She was prepared to die to save her…. Wait, I know you would have to, but it isn't the same for them. It never was."

"Then how do we get her back?" he asked.

"Give her time and your friendship. She is going to be surrounded by love. She is going to need to be reassured that she isn't a killer and that she was doing her job. She is going to need you, all of you, as you are. She will falter if you start treating her differently."

"You speak from experience," Morgan told her.

"You should know. Emily did the same thing. She needed you and she had you. You helped her back from the brink when she came back. You gave her the focus that she needed. Unfortunately for you, she came running back to Interpol. JJ is in the same place. She is questioning her ability to be an agent. She needs to know that she can still do that objectively. Fortunately for her and for you, she wasn't undercover. She didn't have to become someone else. She just had to follow my orders and do what she already knew how to do."

"You talk like this might end her career," Morgan replied.

"In her eyes, it might. She is afraid of talking to Hotch. She is scared of what Emily is going to say to her when she wakes up. She is frightened that she has pushed you all away, again, and this time it would be the last time. This would be the third time that she has lied to you. She doesn't know how to beg for your forgiveness and part of her doesn't believe that she deserves it. She disobeyed direct orders, implied and given, from her unit chief. She went off on her own in a foreign country, armed to the teeth and ready to kill. She withheld information that may have led you to where Emily was before we got there. And, she did all this because Emily asked her to do it," Amelia explained.

"How so?"

"She is Prentiss' contingency plan."

"I don't follow."

"You can't. You don't know. You've never done anything like we have."

"I'm sorry?" he stated more like a question and she had offended him.

"Stay with your friends and the team. I'll take care of Blackbird. She needs me now more than she needs you. But, trust me when I tell you, that she'll come back to you and when she does, she'll need you more than she ever did before. Just be there and don't change. That is what she needs from you now," Amelia told him leaving the room.

"I don't plan on letting either of them go. Not ever again. Family doesn't let go," Morgan said to himself as he turned around to check on Prentiss' condition. He wasn't going to let go. He couldn't. He wouldn't lose either of them again. He would stay in contact. He would support them. He would make sure that they knew that. He wasn't going to let go…he couldn't.

Amelia finally caught JJ in a corridor staring out into the city below. She could see the look on her face and she knew that JJ was more than worried. She was confused. She didn't know what feel and that was pushing her over the edge.

"She's okay," Amelia told her.

"I know that. I've heard every report from the doctors, too, Amelia. I've been in there with you. That isn't the problem right now and you know it," JJ stated.

"I know. But running away isn't going to solve it either. It never does."

"I don't know what to say to her when she wakes up. I know what she wanted me to do and I did it. I came and helped you save her. I would do it again. I wouldn't even think about it."

"Then what is it?"

"Do you remember your first op?"

"Yes."

"Did it bother you?"

"Parts of it did, yes," Amelia answered.

"I am not sure that I can go back. I am not the same FBI agent I was when we left. I felt free in there. I felt righteous. I understand that being a profiler is a big thing, but I never understood why Derek wanted to always be the first in."

"Have you become an adrenaline junky?"

"Maybe…I don't know. I was so scared when we got there. I've only seen her like that once and she promised to be careful when she left. I just don't…."

"You are still trying to process everything. It's okay. It is going to take time for you get through all of this. I know that it was difficult for you to pull the trigger, but you have to know that everyone in that warehouse was ordered to kill us on sight. They wouldn't have hesitated."

"I know that. I don't care about that. I have been trained to act in situations like that, not to that scale, but I understand and I understood. That isn't my problem," JJ told her.

"Then what is it?"

"I can't face her. I can't look into her eyes. I know that she loves me, Amelia. I can feel it. I've seen it and I don't know what to do about it. I can't….I just can't….I don't know that I can love her back. I lost Will. I've almost lost her so many times and we weren't together. I didn't know then what I know now. I can't…I wouldn't be able to…"

"I get it."

"Do you? Do you really? Because I sure as hell don't," JJ replied.

"I think that you-" Amelia started but she was cut off by Reid.

"She's waking up."

JJ ran back down the hall. Reid and Amelia were just behind her. She stopped just short of the room. She stood in the doorway. She couldn't make herself go in there. She just stood there frozen and afraid. Reid went around her into the room, but Amelia stopped behind her, gently pushing her into the room.

As they entered, they could see Elizabeth hovering over her abused daughter. JJ could feel her heart breaking. She slowly walked over to the bed. The rest of the team backed away except for Amelia. She walked up with JJ and stood beside, silently and mentally, holding her up.

Emily turned her head. Her eyes were blurry but she was trying to focus on them. JJ could tell. Her dark as coal eyes were searching their faces. She was trying to latch onto something in her mind, but the concussion was making it difficult.

"Blackbird, you have the bluest eyes…" she said.

JJ looked into her eyes and broke. She didn't hide the sobs that she been holding back. Emily was really okay. She had confirmation now and she finally cried for her friend. She let it all out. Emily tried to smile for her to reassure her, but JJ realized that it hurt her too much.

"Don't, Emily. You're okay. We got you out," JJ told her.

"Jayje…"

"You can tell me later, Em. Rest now. We've got your back," JJ told her.

Amelia saw the slight nod. JJ took a step back to allow her closer. Emily's eyes followed the movement but they were tracking JJ more than Amelia. Her daughter watched it and smiled.

Amelia leaned over and whispered in Emily's ear. What she said was just between them and everyone understood. As she started to walk away, Emily reached out and took her hand. She pulled her back down. Amelia didn't pull away. They just stared into each other's dark eyes and had a silent conversation.

"How long?" Emily asked her finally breaking the silence.

"What?"

"How long have you known?"

"That is what you are worried about right now?" Amelia asked her.

Elizabeth and JJ looked up. JJ nodded at the door and the rest of the team took the hint. Garcia wanted to stay because she wanted to talk to Emily. The look that JJ gave her was enough for her to decide that she could wait until later.

"We're going to get something to eat. Y'all stay here and talk. We won't be long. I'll bring you both something back," JJ told Elizabeth and Amelia.

"Make sure you tell the nurse that she is awake, too," Amelia said without turning at looking at her, mostly due to the grip Emily had on her hand.

JJ and the rest of the team went downstairs to the cafeteria. They each got a plate and moved to a round table near the corner. JJ saw the police watching them. She knew that it was part of the armed guard that Amelia had called in. She wasn't surprised to see them making sure that they were still okay.

As she sat there eating, all she could think about was Emily. She hoped that the doctor had good news for them when they got upstairs. She knew that Emily would want to be out of the hospital as soon as possible. She also wondered how the female doctor knew Amelia. She shook her head and decided that it didn't matter. She would be happy as long as Emily made a fully recovery. That was all she really wanted right now.

"Kitten?" Garcia asked her, bringing her back to the table.

"Yeah, Garcia."

"About that letter…"

"Penelope…I am sorry. I knew that you would try to talk me out of it. I had to go. I know that you may not understand that, but I had to do it. I just needed to make sure that Henry would be okay. I knew that you and Reid would be the best people to help me with that," JJ told her.

"And, all the accounts?" Garcia asked her.

"That wasn't my doing."

"I know."

"You knew?"

"Yes," Garcia replied.

"How?"

"I kinda did a thing to help her with that."

JJ couldn't help but laugh. Of course she did. Emily was always someone who didn't like leaving things to chance. She would have done the same thing and she knew it. In her position, she would have used every resource that she had.

"She wanted to make sure that you were taken care of after everything with Will, Kitten."

"She called me, too," Reid added.

"She did?"

"She wanted to make sure that I would be okay with the arrangements that you had started after that incident a few years ago. She didn't want you to be worried about Henry. She wanted to make sure that there was no way that anyone could contest it in all three countries," Reid stated.

"All three?" Garcia and JJ asked.

"Yes, it seems that the Prentiss' have many holdings worldwide. It seems that Emily has several in France through her Grandfather Saint Laurent. Her mother's father left a significant winery and vineyards. But it was her Grandmother's French holdings from the Sabon side of the family that gave her the massive fortune, I believe. I'll have to check the accounts for her again to make sure, but they didn't have many holdings, just cash which Emily has invested very healthily."

"Healthfully?" JJ asked.

"Well, yes, surely you know that she money, JJ."

"I do. I did. How much are you talking, Reid?"

"Millions," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Millions and she was just going to give them to me?"

"It seems that way. She didn't think that she had much in the way of family. She knew that you would use it wisely and Henry could have the best of everything. She was doing it so you didn't have to worry about Henry. He would be taken care of regardless of the situation. I thought you knew about it. I'm sorry," Reid told her.

"I didn't, but it's okay, Reid. You were helping her. And, at the same time, your godson, I can't fault you for that. I appreciate it."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Garcia asked her.

"No, I really don't. Not anymore. I can't change it. I just hope that I never have to use it."

"Don't we all," Garcia mumbled.

JJ sat in silence for the rest of the meal. She didn't want to say to her teammates. They hadn't given up on her and they all seemingly had forgiven her, again, for doing everything that she had to help Emily. She didn't know what she had deserved this family, but she be damned if she'd let anyone hurt them.

"Jayje…" Hotch started.

She stood up and walked to a window. He followed. She had known this was coming and now she just wanted to get it out of the way.

"Yell at me," she told him.

"I don't need to."

"Please."

"No, you know what you did was wrong. You know that it was reckless. But, you knew what you were doing was for the safety of the team and Emily. You felt it. You believed in that. I could hear that in your voice when you called Garcia. I read it in the letter you gave us. I should have seen it coming. I should have been prepared for you to do it, but I wasn't. I was hoping that you were over it, but you aren't. You can't turn off your training. I know that I don't know everything that you did while you working for the DOD and DOJ in 2011 and for once, I am grateful that I don't know. I don't want to know. I just hope that you and Emily can tell us when something this big affects us next time. I know that you have some things that you can't talk about, but I expect that if a case bothers you or you have information that could help, you would tell me. I need to know that you will tell me. Can you at least give me that?" he asked her.

"Yes, Hotch, I will. I said it bother last year. No more secrets, I promised you that. I mean to keep that promise. The only problem was that this wasn't my secret to keep. It was Emily's."

"I know."

"Good. I wanted to tell you. You should know that. I wanted to tell you. After the things with Hastings, I didn't know what to do completely. Emily and I talked at length. She told me that I need to look inside myself and decide what I wanted in life. I did that. I've done that many times, but every time I think I have a handle on it, I realize that I don't. Emily talked me down a few times when things got to be too much for me."

"And, being part of Emily's contingency plan?" Hotch asked her.

"I've been part of that since Doyle. I didn't realize what it meant until she left for London. I spent many a night on the phone with her as she explained what it meant. I knew that Elizabeth was on the call list and few other people from Interpol and her undercover ops."

"Did you know about Amelia?" Hotch asked her.

"No, I didn't. Not until I saw the picture that Mac brought up on the screen in the conference room. I don't think that Emily knew about Amelia until earlier today. I mean, I think that she hoped that Amelia was safe and loved, but she never actively sought out to search for her. I think that she never forgot about her, but she began to believe in her lies so much about her that she didn't know what to do when her thoughts drifted back to her. I don't think a day has gone by that she hasn't thought about her. I just don't know why she didn't tell us about her. We could have moved faster. We could have done something more," JJ explained.

"I know that. But, I also know that she couldn't tell anyone about her because of her undercover days. She knew that if anyone ever found Amelia that she could have been used against her. It was bad enough that she was an ambassador's daughter. The only good thing about their strained relationship was that no one in the States besides a select few knew who she really was. Emily was good at hiding behind masks because that was how she was taught to act in public. She did what she had to survive," Hotch told her.

"I know that. I just wish that she could have trusted us more with that information. I just wish that she had told me before I found out like this. I think that she didn't know how to tell us."

"Maybe not. She's fought to survive for so long. She's forgotten how to reach out when she needs it. She doesn't reach out until it's too late. I was hoping that she'd gotten past with Doyle. She knew that we could tell each other anything. She could have told me anything and it wouldn't have bothered me," JJ stated.

"What if she killed someone in cold blood?" Hotch asked her.

"Then, I would wait for the explanation because she is family, Hotch. We are a family. Whether we like or not, we are family. We've got each other's backs. We forgive our faults and support each other when we need it. We never forget that no matter where we are, be in the Pentagon, Langley, London, or Quantico. We love each other," JJ replied.

"I know that. But, I also know that sometimes it is that hardest to tell family what is really bothering us. With Emily's background, I can see why she hesitated."

"Standing back from it now, I can too," JJ said.

"She loves you. That is why she didn't you. She didn't know how. Just like she didn't and doesn't know how to tell you that she loves you, Jayje. And, I think above everything that you two have been through that you know that."

"I don't know that for sure," JJ started.

"Of course you do, JJ. You've known that she's loved you since she came back to help with Hastings and your rescue effort. You just didn't what to do about it. And, now you are lost. You feel alone and afraid, but you went through a hard assignment and got out without any incident. You saved her. You defended her. You went on a covert operation and now you have to deal with that along with the fact that it obvious that Emily loves you, too. That isn't going to be easy for you to deal with. If you need time when we get back to London, just let me know."

"I will."

"Look, I know you feel lost right now. But, deep down, you know who you are. You always have. Just don't lose yourself in the madness of it all. Don't go down the rabbit hole, JJ. You won't like what you find," Hotch told her.

"Why aren't you mad at me?"

"Oh, I am mad. I am furious, but I did the same thing for Haley. Just promise that you lose yourself in your mind. If you need to talk…"

"I will, Hotch. I promise. After we get back, I'll find someone to talk to or something."

"Good. Now, let's get back and check on Prentiss. Talk to her when you can. You need to get it out in the open and talk. Now, may not be the time. Maybe you should schedule a London vacation after we get back. I'll approve. You need some time off and you and I both know that you won't rest until you know that Emily is completely okay."

"Thank you," JJ replied as they all started heading back upstairs to Emily's hospital suite.

"I don't know if you know who you are until you lose who you are." Taylor Swift


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Success is my only mother fucking option, failures not…You better lose yourself in the music, the moment you own it, you'd better never let it go… This opportunity only comes once in a lifetime." Eminem

After they had gone back to Emily's room, Hotch convinced them all to get hotel rooms for the night once they knew that Emily was on the mend. The doctor had assured them that she would allow her to fly as long as she had some sort of medical flying with her. Elizabeth had secured a transport thanks to Lilly and Pettigrew that would have two nurses and an emergency doctor aboard for the flight back to London. They all smiled at the quickness in which they were getting things done because they all knew how much Emily hated hospitals.

JJ had elected to stay back. Hotch wasn't surprised. Neither was anyone else. Diana had gone back with the rest of the team to take care of Charlie. Amelia and Elizabeth both refused to leave her there even though they knew that JJ was staying.

Emily was asleep again. Between the pain, natural mending processes, and the medications, she really didn't have a chance of staying awake for long. They kept their vigil over her.

Somewhere around four AM, Elizabeth and Amelia decided to take a walk. JJ wasn't sure if was to give her time alone with Emily or not. She really didn't care. She had made a promise that she would see this through. She wouldn't be leaving with the team. She would go back with Emily to London. She would stay there for a while to make sure that she was okay and she had Hotch's blessing on the matter. She knew that she needed to talk to Emily about it, but she also knew that Emily would tell her to go home to Henry.

"You're still here," Emily stated waking up again.

"Yeah, do you need some more pain meds?"

"No, I am good for now. I'll wait until rounds. Where are Mom and Amelia?"

"They went for a walk."

"Ah, so any news that I need to know from the last medical update?"

"No, not really. Pettigrew got a crew and transport for you. They are going to fly you into London and then medivac you from the airport to St. Mary's. There is already a team being prepared to reevaluate your situation once we get back."

"We?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I am going to make sure that you okay."

"JJ, I am fine. Go home to Henry. You don't need to stay to take care of me. I am sure that Mom and Amelia will make sure that I have adequate care. Mom is definitely not going to let me out of her sight for a while," Emily told her.

"Am I not allowed to care?"

"You are, JJ. I am not saying that. But, you don't need to put your life on hold for me. I am sure that there are cases that need to be worked. Henry needs you. You can go home with a clear conscience. You and Amelia got me out there. You rescued me."

"I know that."

"Then, what is this about?" Emily asked.

"What are you talking about?"

Emily started messing with the bed. She was trying to sit up. She knew that it would hurt but she didn't want to be laying down where she couldn't see JJ's eyes. She needed to see them. She needed to see what she was thinking. She needed to the deep blue of them, again.

"Do you need help?" JJ asked her when she realized what Emily was doing.

"No, I got it."

"Is it too much for you to really ask for help?"

"I don't need it."

"Ever?" JJ questioned.

"Jayje…"

"Don't, Emily. Just don't. Why can't you ever ask for help? What was it about being an ambassador's daughter that turned you off to the world? Because I just can't see it. I don't understand. I've tried and tried to talk to you. You finally start to open up to me and then you run off to London with no more than an explanation that it is for a unit chief job."

"I needed a new start. I was tired. I needed to…"

"Run," JJ finished for her.

"I wasn't running. I just needed a change. I wanted to be in the BAU for so long and then I got it. I realized why the burn out rate for profilers was so high. It's the same for sex crimes detectives. We have to think like the unsubs and sometimes you begin to wonder what is really that much different between us and them…a badge? I needed more."

"And you couldn't get that in DC?" JJ asked her.

"Not at that time, no, I couldn't. I tried, JJ. I really did. But, when Clyde told me about the position, I couldn't turn it down. There was nothing holding me there."

"Nothing at all?" JJ asked, tears starting to form in blue eyes.

"Not like that, JJ. I wasn't settled down. The only life I had was working cases. I hadn't been on a real date in over two years. And, after everything with Doyle, I'll admit that my head wasn't in the right place. I wasn't trying to settle down. I think I was still afraid that the other shoe was going to drop and someone else might be after me. I couldn't drag you all into that."

"So, you ran again. You didn't tell us really why. You left. Then, this happens. I don't know what to think anymore, Em. I really don't."

"I am sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Talk to me. Tell me why you didn't tell me about the accounts."

"The accounts?" Emily asked her.

"Yes, the accounts, the ones that you had set up for me and Henry."

"I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I didn't want you to have to worry about anything should something happen. I knew that if I told you about it that you would tell me not to do it. I thought about it more once I heard what happened to Will. I did it for you."

"But, you didn't tell me about them. What was I supposed to think if a lawyer just showed up on my doorstep or better yet at the BAU bullpen and told me that I had just inherited a chuck of money from you? What was I supposed to do with that? All that would tell me is that you were dead. How do you think I would have received that information? Because, I'll tell you. Not well, not well at all," JJ told her.

"I know that, Jay. I didn't mean to upset you with that. I just wanted to make sure that you would be okay. I know that each day when we leave we aren't guaranteed that we are going to come home. I wanted something good to happen with my money. I don't have any family, or I didn't think that I did."

"What about Amelia?"

"Her accounts are the same size as yours. I didn't leave her out. I just hadn't realized that I'd found her. I swear to you that I'd never met her in person until today…or yesterday…or whatever. I knew I had a daughter out there, but I never knew who she was," Emily told her.

"Why didn't you tell us about her?"

"And, what was I supposed to say? Hey, yeah, so I was stupid when I was kid. I got pregnant and gave my daughter away. Oh, by the way, I thought about having an abortion. That is what I told everyone happened. It was easier to believe that than for anyone in my mother's circle to believe that I actually had the kid. If it hadn't been for my grandfather, I wouldn't have had her. Do I want kids? Yes, I do. Do I think that I should have kids? I don't know. But, now, it is too late to try to have more. Amelia is grown and she is a wonderful woman. She didn't need me."

"Why?" JJ asked.

"Why what?"

"Why the lies? Why not just tell your mother at least the truth? Why weren't you looking for her? Why didn't you tell us? We would have helped you look for her. And, why the Hell do think that she didn't need you?"

"Because it was easier to forget and I couldn't forget if I was actively looking for her. I know that you would have helped me look. Hell, Garcia made it a personal mission when I called her for help about it. I know what time and resources that you would have all put into it. But, it wasn't a case. It was personal and it was my problem. I couldn't drag you into that. As far as Amelia needing me, she had everything that she could have ever wanted. She went to the best schools. She was well taken care of and she is super intelligent. Sometimes I think that she could give Reid a run for his money, but she didn't need me. She had Matthew."

"Until she was ten," JJ added.

"She was a happy child, JJ. Why are you so upset by this? What is really bugging you?"

"I guess I just don't understand why you are just so blasé about it."

"I wasn't there for over thirty years, JJ. I can't take that back. I wouldn't dare try. Does it upset me that I missed her first words, her first steps, her first day of school? Yes, it does. Am I upset that I wasn't there for her graduations? Hell, yes, I am. But, I can't take it back. I can't make it all better now. I can only be who I am and hope that it will be enough for her," Emily stated.

"Kinda like your own Mom?"

JJ knew that she had struck a nerve with that. She didn't care. She just didn't understand why Emily was already retreating. She never could just tell JJ the flat truth. She'd learn to expect it, but after watching that video from Amelia, JJ wondered how much longer she could take it.

"You can't just say it, can you?" JJ asked her.

"Say what?" Emily demanded to know.

"Never mind. I guess it isn't really that important right now. You just need to get better."

"You need to go home to your son."

"I am not leaving you here like this," JJ countered.

"I have Mom and Amelia. I'll be fine. JJ, just go home with the team. They need you."

"What about you?" JJ asked.

"What about me?"

"You don't need me?" JJ questioned her, tears filling her eyes again.

Emily couldn't focus. She did and she didn't understand why JJ was so upset with her. She couldn't deal with this right now. It wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right place. She wanted to wait until she was better. She didn't want to deal with her feelings right now.

"JJ...Henry needs his mother more than I do. I can't come before him and we both know that. I know that you want to talk about everything, but honestly, I don't. At least not right now, I am tired. I'm in pain. I don't want to hurt you and I know that I already have, but I can't tell you something different. You already have the answers. You know that you do. What else do you want from me?"

"The TRUTH!"

"What truth, JJ? What truth do you want? What do you want mc to tell you that I haven't already?"

"Why did you go back undercover? You told me that you were done with field work like that. You have younger officers that could it for you. Why was it you?" JJ asked her.

"Because I knew that I could do it quicker than they could."

"And, what about your safety?"

"Everything was planned out. Every situation that was within reason had an acceptable outcome Ibrahim wasn't in there because he shouldn't have been a factor. Nothing he did should have been. That wasn't even something that should have been on our radar," Emily explained.

"I get that I do, but you still put yourself in harm's way."

"We both do every time we go to work, JJ. It's part of the job. We both know that we signed up and took the badge. You know that I will do anything I can to protect everyone I can. I will do what I have to do in order to make the world a little safer. You take down serial killers. I do, too. You deal with sickos and rapists. I deal with war criminals and international bullshit. We both do the same job. You have fifty states to play in, where as I have the whole world."

"You should have told me."

"Why?" Emily challenged.

"Because I worry about you, Emily. Isn't that enough? We're friends," JJ replied.

"We're friends," Emily stated.

"Yes, or at least, I thought than we were."

"We are friends, JJ. And, that is why you need to go home to your son. I am sorry that I pulled you away from him to save my ass. Thank you for saving my ass, by the way. I guess I owe you one again. But, I'll be alright. I am already on the mend. Doctor El-Amin is surprised at how fast I woke up considering what I'd been through. I'm going to be fine. I'm going to make a full recovery, JJ. You don't need to waste your personal time on me. I am sure that Mom is going to make me move into Winfield House with her until I am cleared. Amelia will make sure that I pass all my evals. I'll be fine."

"You don't want me here?" JJ asked.

"It isn't that I don't want you hear, JJ. It is that you don't need to be here. You have a life and it doesn't revolve around me. I don't want you to think that I am not grateful for everything than you have done for me, JJ. I am. I really am, but you need to go home to your son. I don't want to be the reason that he doesn't know you. He needs you more than I do," Emily explained.

"He's with my parents."

"Jayje...go home to your family."

"Emily...you are part of my family," JJ told her barely above a whisper.

"Oh, honey, I know. But, I've got my family here with me. I am sure that I am going to be spending time with Amelia trying to figure things out. It is going to be a long road for both of us. Trust me when I say that I will probably be calling you a lot to talk, but you don't have to be here for that. It is enough for me to know that you care and you want to be here," Emily told her.

"Is it?"

"Yes...it means more to me than you'll ever know," Emily replied.

"I need some air," JJ said abruptly and left the room.

"I will always love you, JJ. Even when I can't tell you. But, I missed my chance. I understand that and I can live with that, because I love you," Emily said to the closed hospital room door.

She was staring out the window a few minutes later wondering where everything had gone wrong. She was replaying the op in her head over and over again trying to figure out where Ibrahim got the drop on her. She just couldn't see it. It didn't make any sense as how he found out about her. If he really was the same person from her childhood in Rome, he had no reason to know that she would he there undercover.

"Some sold you out," Amelia said coming in and sitting down in the chair next to her.

"How do you know?"

"How else did they find out who you really were?"

"My cover was blown?" Emily asked.

"It wasn't on our end that I can think of. I did all the paperwork for you. It was all legit. There was no reason for anyone to question it. The backgrounds were solid. I know they were. I doubled checked."

"I am not doubting you, Amelia. I never have. I know the work you do. I've only seen as good from my team back at the BAU and that was only because one of them had DOJ connections."

"Then how did someone get the info?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know but that is something we need to find out."

"I understand that you're pissed about this. But, you bloody well took a beating and now you want to go off on a man hunt when we don't have any evidence. That's just plain bullocks, Emily and you know it. We need to get back to the office and work the case. We can't do this here. And, before we do anything, you need to get better," Amelia told her.

"Are you crazy? We don't have time to wait for that. We need to get started on it now."

"Slow down, Mum. I've already got Lilly and Clyde looking into it. There is really nothing that we can do from here. Do you think that I don't know this is some serious shite? I know it is. I've been trying to figure it out all day. I've been making calls. Diana has been making calls."

"And?"

"I'm cheesed off. We've got nothing but duff here. I'm trying. Some tosser knows who we are and what we do. I am not going to stop looking until I find the wanker that did this. You are going to lie here and get better."

"I'm going back to London later," Emily told her with conviction.

"Yes, you bloody well are, but you are going to another hospital. You are going to stay there until they release you. NO…you aren't going to talk your way out this one. We are going to talk later about all our familial shite, but until then you are just going get better."

"You can't make me stay there," Emily grunted.

"I will fucking cuff you to the bloody bed if I have to. Try me. I just found you for real and I am not going to lose you, again. We've got one shot at finding this wanker. I am not going to let you being injured and not in the right mindset set hold us back. So you aren't."

"Amelia…"

"Just don't. I am on it. We are doing everything that we can."

"I know."

She watched as Emily finally calmed down. Emily knew that she wasn't in any type of condition to help them yet. And, Emily could see the resolve in Amelia's face.

"So, what are you going to do with JJ?" Amelia asked her.

"I told her to go home to Henry," Emily told her.

"You realize that she loves you, too, right?"

"I do."

"Then, you are just wasting your chance with her," Amelia said.

"It's hard to waste a chance that you never had," Emily stated.

"Only if you don't ever try to take it," Elizabeth added coming in the room.

"How would you know?" Emily asked her.

"Because I blew it with you," Elizabeth told her.

"Well, you are trying to fix things with me," Emily replied.

"Then, don't let her go," Amelia said, before she left the room again.

"Let her help you, Emily," Elizabeth stated.

"Who?"

"Both of them. You'll need them to get better. They are the best thing to help you find the success you are still looking for. If you let her leave, you may never get her back."

"I am letting her leave to save her life," Emily told her, turning over as much as she could in the bed to look out the window of the room.

"A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success." Elbert Hubbard


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"I understood myself only I after I destroyed myself. And only in the process of fixing myself, did I know who I really was." Sade Andria Zabala

JJ watched as they took Emily into another room. It hurt, but she knew that it was the best thing for her. She thought that Emily flying that soon couldn't be good and now, she was right. As soon as they landed she was medi-vaced to the hospital. The ride to St. Mary's was quiet for all of them. Only Amelia and Emily went in the helicopter.

JJ was pacing. Elizabeth was watching her. Garcia and Hotch didn't know what to do. They were at the mercy of time and the doctors. Reid and Morgan watched the room and couldn't help but think about the last time they were in the hospital and Emily was behind doors. Rossi sat down and watched the team. He could see them start to unravel.

"She isn't going to die," he said quietly.

Reid and Morgan sat next to him. They were freaking out. It wasn't hard to miss.

"She's going to be fine," Rossi told them all.

"Yes, she will," Elizabeth added.

"Once she's stable, we can go back to Winfield House. It won't do any of us any good to be here and not rested. She will fine. I have been assured that the best doctors are working on her."

"I'm going to stay," JJ told them.

"I'm staying," Garcia added.

"I'll take you up on that offer," Hotch stated.

Everyone looked at him. He had to believe that she would be fine. But, he also understood that Elizabeth was trying to help them all. He stood up and started walking towards the door. Rossi stood next and joined him. He turned around right before he got to the door to tell them something.

"She would want us to take care of ourselves and work the case. We still need to get with Easter and give him what you found in Germany. Emily is fine. She isn't going to die. She is going to need our help. We need to solve the case. The more information that we can give them, the faster they can take down the cell that was buying that equipment," Hotch told them.

"I'll go with you," Reid said, joining him.

"I'm in," Rossi added. "She needs us to do this. JJ, you'll be fine here. We'll call you if we have anything you might need to know. And, you better call us if something changes."

"You're right," Morgan replied. "Let's go find something useful. I'm tired of sitting."

They left the hospital. Garcia and JJ took up their vigil in the waiting room. Garcia was holding her hand again. She couldn't think about it. She didn't want to think about something happening to Emily. She couldn't fathom not being able to play online scrabble with her.

"Something else is bothering Elizabeth," Garcia stated.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't see the way she hovering around Amelia and Emily. Even Diana seemed to be on edge. There is something going that we don't know about. I don't like it."

"Do you think that it has something to do with the case?"

"I'm not sure. Jayje, do you think something is wrong? Is it Emily?" Garcia asked.

"No, it isn't Emily. She's fine. I think it just because Elizabeth, Emily and Amelia are together for once. They don't know how to deal with each other yet," JJ replied.

"You think?" Garcia quipped.

"Yeah, that is one strained family. They need time together without a case involved. They just need a big family hug. They'll get through it, Garcia. They are all Prentisses by the way."

"That they are," Garcia replied.

* * *

Later that evening, Amelia was sitting in Emily's room. She was just watching her sleep. It was a hard thing to do. She knew that Emily was a fighter and that they would figure out who the leak was. They would solve the case together. They would figure it out. They had to.

"Amelia?"

"I'm here."

"Any new leads?"

"No, not yet."

"Any ideas on what to do?" Emily asked.

"We need to hide. If they know who you are, they know where to find us. I have a family to protect. We can search from anywhere. We need to go and we need to go soon."

"I understand that, but the FBI team isn't going to leave without knowing that I'm okay. I need to be released. I need to get out of here. Once I am out, we'll go somewhere. I still have some bogholes in place. No one knows about them."

"How am I supposed to get you released?"

"I am St. Mary's, right?" Emily asked her.

"Yeah, you're Mom insisted that you come here."

"Good, ask for Doctor James McThomas. He'll help you. Get him to get me released. He'll write the scripts to get me out. We'll go back to Winfield and stay with Mom for a minute. It will give me enough time to convince them to go home. Once they are gone, we'll leave. Can you do that?"

"I will do anything that I have to for Diana and Charlie."

"Then, go find him," Emily said, blinking hard. "No, I'm fine. We've got to go and you know it. Just get me some damn pills. We need to get out of England."

"I'll be back soon," Amelia told her leaving the room.

Emily lay back in the bed. She sighed. She knew what she was about to do was going to hurt JJ and the rest but she had to do it. She had to protect them by disappearing. They would go home and they would be safe. That is what she wanted. They were part of her family and she had to protect them as much as she had to protect Elizabeth, Amelia, Diana and Charlie. They were her life now. She had to protect them all. She would hurt. She would be in pain, but they would be safe and right now, that was all that mattered.

"Forgive me, JJ, but this is to protect you all…again."

* * *

At Winfield House, Hotch and the team gathered in the war room. They were going over the intel that they had about the Palestinian terror group. Morgan was pouring over everything. He wanted to hurry and get the paper work done. He knew that they had to help with the case and he figured that the faster that he did that, the faster he could get back to the hospital and check on Prentiss.

"I know what you are doing," Reid told him.

"What's that, Pretty Boy?"

"We are all worried about her, Morgan. But, I don't see how rushing this will help her. I am not sure I understand the need for us to be doing any of this," Reid told him.

"What do you mean?"

"We didn't solve the case. We didn't even find her. Amelia did all that because of her background and the chatter that she deciphered. All we did was follow the trail of a group of mad men trying to blow up Jews. That didn't do anything for Emily," Reid replied.

"It may not have done anything for Emily, Reid, but it did plenty for the world and the Middle East. We helped stopped a terrorist cell. We got more intel on their mentality and what they are looking for. That will help Interpol, Europol, and other agencies around the world. It will even help us at home in counter-terrorism. You don't see that as a win?" Morgan asked.

"I do, but I don't. I am not sure that they were even looking at Prentiss. Nothing in their movements suggests that they were. We know that Ibrahim infiltrated them to get closer to her, but why? How did he know that she was there? Nothing about his involvement with the group makes sense. I think Emily, Amelia and JJ know that. I think that there is more to this, but I just can't see the pattern. It's there. I can feel it," Reid explained.

"You want Prentiss to look at what we got?"

"Of course, I do. She can always see the one thing that I can't. She could always help me find the pattern even though it was right there. She knows why she was taken, I think. I just don't know why she is not telling us. Do you think that she meant for it to happen?"

"No, she didn't," Rossi added finally joining in.

"I don't mean like she planned it, Rossi. I am just wondering if she knew that she was going to be taken and that is why she separated herself from her team. Could she have sensed something was majorly wrong with the operation and done something to make sure that weren't that many causalities?" Reid questioned.

"It sounds like something Prentiss would do, but there is no evidence that she knew. Amelia also acted like someone possessed. She hid what she knew long enough to get to Emily. That doesn't sound like they planned that. It sounds like something went horribly wrong and they were trying to cover ass quickly."

"You don't think that Amelia had anything to do with this, do you?" Rossi asked them.

"No, I don't. She is too much like Emily. She would sacrifice herself before she let any harm come to her perceived family," Reid replied.

"Her perceived family?" Hotch asked, turning to face them as he put down his pen.

"Yeah, her perceived family. She knew that Emily was her mother and Emily didn't know that she was the daughter that she had given up. Elizabeth confided in the truth to Amelia and Amelia agreed that it was safer for Emily not to know. It also showed in the way that she sent her partner and daughter to stay with Elizabeth. She trusts Elizabeth and Pettigrew with her life enough to go into the fray and possible die. But, she knew that Diana and Charlie would be taken care of. JJ found out that Emily drew up accounts that would go to her and Henry if something should have happened to her while she was in the field. I am not saying that they were planning on dying. I am saying that Amelia did the exact same thing that Emily did. She planned out the worst case scenario and made sure that her family would be provided for, cared for and safe. This included the team. Clyde only sent Mac to tell us and work with us. Amelia had her existence erased so that she could move about the world more freely to find Emily. All of this combined, it is a martyr's mentality. She knew something was wrong and she was willing to die to fix it. The question we need to be asking ourselves now, is what was wrong?" Reid stated.

"Do you have an answer?" Hotch asked him.

"I haven't a clue. I also know that Emily isn't going to tell us if she knows. It is too close to home. She will protect that secret. It has something to do with the Prentisses, I am sure. But, none of them are going to talk to us. We aren't going to get the information. For them, the case is closed. We've done our job. We should file the reports and go home."

"What do you want to do, Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked.

"I want to help them if we can, but I know that Emily isn't going to ask us for it. She is going to continue to look for answers with her contacts. Amelia may even go into the field to see what she can find. Unfortunately for us, we don't have the jurisdiction to do anything here. Emily and Amelia know that. Clyde knows that. Our hands are tied," Reid explained.

"You think she is sending us home to protect us?"

"I don't know what to think, Hotch. I can't figure out why Ibrahim knew she was there. If we knew that, then we could follow something. But there is no evidence to explain it. He joined that cell on purpose. He brought the Tahrif with him. Everything on him and his situation dictates that he used the cell for his own endgame. The problem is we don't know what that endgame was," Reid told them.

"What if the endgame was Emily?" Rossi asked.

"How do we protect her?" Morgan questioned.

"We do what we can. We report what we know. And, we keep a look out on Elizabeth and Emily. They are still American citizens even though they are living abroad. We will do what we can, but we can't investigate the way we want to."

"Hotch…"

"Look, Morgan, I understand your worry, but we can't. For one, this isn't our case. For two, we can't stay here. We need to get back. Now, that being said, the jet will be ready to leave this evening. Do what you can until then. Also, make up an investigation parameter that will allow you to check your hypothesis, Reid. We may not be able to look into things fully from here or at home, but at least we'll be on top of things should something arise. And, we'll keep this to ourselves."

"What about JJ?" Morgan asked him.

"I'll brief her about it when we get home. I am sure that she'll have something to say about it. Right now, she is too close to the situation. We all are, but…she went in there and faced Ibrahim down. We've promised not to keep secrets about intel like this. I am going to hold her to her word. You should to. If you do find something, let me know immediately. But, for right now, work up your reports on what we did and what we know right now. I'll hand those over to Lilly for Interpol to process. Then start on your own thoughts. We deal with those once we get home."

* * *

The next morning, JJ was back in the hospital room with Emily. It had been a long night, but they managed not to argue. JJ had fallen asleep in the chair near the window after Doctor McThomas had come in done rounds. He'd told Emily that she could leave in a day or so and this seemed to calm her down immensely.

"You going back with the team?" Emily finally asked once they were both awake.

"Yes, I will. I know that you are going to be okay. Doctor McThomas and I had a long talk last night. He assured me that you would be able to walk out of here tomorrow. I just wish you would understand that I am worried about you and I care about you," JJ replied.

"I do, JJ."

"Then, why don't you want me to stay?"

"Because you need to go home to Henry. You need to spend time with your parents. You need to go have your vacation. If I know Hotch, he told you that you could take some time and come back to check on me in a few weeks, right?"

"He did."

"Then, come back to London. I'll show the sights this time. We'll hang out. I prove to you that I am better and you won't have to see me in this hospital."

"Promise?"

"I promise, JJ. I am fine. But, I don't want the fact that you have a strained relationship with Henry on my part. I know what that does to a kid. Go home to him. Make sure that he is okay and love him. I'm okay."

"He'll want to talk to you," JJ told her.

"Well, tell him that his Aunt Memly is okay. I'll send him something outrageous to prove it. He'll love it."

"I am going to hold you to it," JJ replied.

"Good, now go. Hotch told me that the jet will be here later today. Go take a shower and a nap. I am not going anywhere. Hotch will bring you all by before heading to the airport later. Go home, JJ."

"We'll talk about everything when I come back?"

"Yes, JJ, we will. I promise. I'll tell you everything."

"You'd better. I'll hunt you down if you don't. You now I can," JJ warned her.

"I know, sweetie. I know. And, I hope that you don't have to even use those skills again. I'm home. I'm safe. I'll be fine. Now go take care of yourself," Emily told her.

"I'll see you before we leave," JJ said.

Emily watched her go. Her heart breaking with her every step, but she knew that she couldn't tell her truth. She wouldn't put JJ or Henry in that kind of danger. She knew that JJ would try to help. She knew what she would do and she couldn't give her that option.

She smiled at them just after four o'clock. They had all come to the hospital to tell her "Bye" and "Get well soon." She noticed something in the eyes of Reid and Morgan, but she dismissed it not wanting to see it. She knew that Reid and Morgan were troubled by the case. She could see it on their faces in Amman when she woke up. She just hoped that once everything was over that they could forgive her for running and hiding.

As soon as they were all gone, Emily told Elizabeth their plan. It wasn't solid, but Diana and Elizabeth had already been briefed by Pettigrew and Amelia that morning. Doctor McThomas came back in with a bag of medication and a couple of shots which he gave Emily.

"They'll help for a while, but if you get dizzy or light headed…" he started to warn.

"I know, Jimmy. I'll get help. I won't be alone."

"It isn't you being alone that I am worried about."

"I am not going to die."

"Not today, Prentiss, not today," he muttered.

"Be careful. Find the bastards and come home to me. All of you," Elizabeth told them outside the hospital.

"We'll be fine, Mom. I promise. Just don't do anything stupid. Keep working and act like nothing happened. The more you continue your routine the better off everyone will be," Emily told her.

"I love you," Elizabeth said, grabbing her into a fierce hug. "Come home to me, daughter. And, bring your family back. I'll be waiting. I'll send word through channels where to find me. I'm retiring at the end of the month."

"I know, Mom. I know. I love you, too. Take care."

"Love you, too, Grams," Amelia told her, giving her a quick hug before leaving her standing there with Pettigrew.

"They'll be safe, right?"

"Those two? Oh, yeah. I feel sorry for whoever crossed them. They are going to be in a world of hurt and no one and nothing will be able to protect them. They are stubborn Prentiss women. They won't stop until the threat has been neutralized," he replied.

* * *

Three weeks later, JJ was in Clyde's office at the London Interpol offices. She was mad. She was furious. She hadn't had any contact from Emily in two weeks. Not a word, not even a scrabble game, and she'd flown eight hours on a red eye to find out that there were no records of her being in London passed the day that JJ left London weeks ago.

Clyde sat down behind his desk. He knew that the blonde was furious, but honestly there was nothing he could do about it. He sighed and waited.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know," he replied.

"She's gone?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"She left shortly after you did," he told her.

"Why?"

"They'd been compromised. She thought it was for the best to go into hiding. I don't know where she is. I don't know who she is with. Hell, I don't even know if Amelia is with her," Clyde answered.

"And, Elizabeth?"

"We've tried. But, she retired. She's back in DC."

JJ pulled out her phone. She dialed the one person that could help her now. She needed answers.

"Office of supreme knowledge. Whatcha need, Kitten? I thought you were supposed to be in London on vacation," Garcia replied.

"I am."

"What's wrong?"

"She's gone."

"Gone?"

"Find her PG. Find her. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"I'm on it. Do you want me to call Spence and Derek?"

"No, not yet."

"I'll get you the first flight I can. I'll text you the details. Just calm down, JJ. We'll find her. We always do," Garcia told her.

"That's what I am afraid of…"

* * *

"Running away from fear is fear: fighting pain is pain; trying to be brave is being scared. If the mind is in pain, the mind is pain. The thinker has no other form than his thought." Alan Watts

**A/N: This is where I'm ending this story. And, before you freak out on me, yes, there will be a sequel. I am working on it now. You'll just have to be patient, but this is where this story ends.**


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